My silly dear friend Mike said they do. Maybe that’s why they want you to stay a respectful Dusty from them.
Yes, I saw my first Whooping Cranes today, as two Master Naturalist friends and I headed to Rockport to see them. On the way down we “only” stopped three times to look at plants for iNaturalist. That was easier because there were still few wildflowers.
We only nearly lost our lives once when we were trying to turn left and a car didn’t notice I was stopped and signaling. I’m glad the other ladies couldn’t see in the rear-view mirror what I saw. But hey, flowers were seen.
We visited Goose Island to find the Whooping Cranes, which were hanging out with Roseate Spoonbills and Black-bellied Whistling Ducks. There was even a juvenile. We hope to see more tomorrow, but this was cool.
Even cooler to me was the incredible heron rookery we visited next. Oh my gosh, there were so many beautiful breeding Great Blue Herons! They were in beautiful windswept oaks.
I saw males bringing sticks to females, who would add them to their nests. They were very affectionate, rubbing necks and clicking one bill over another. I got to see mating and squabbling, too. This was truly awe-inspiring for me.
Later we visited another couple of places looking for birds, but mostly saw scenery.
Everyone else was in bed before 9 pm. I’m still here. More fun tomorrow.
The Hermits' Rest 