Wolves and Coyote
I inadvertently saved the life of a coyote today. I know that sounds a bit strange, however if you knew me, it might not sound so strange. As a naturalist and wildlife photographer I tend to get into some very interesting situations. This week I have returned to Yellowstone National Park for a second winter adventure. As always the landscape photography opportunities are amazing but I am here for the wildlife, in particular the wolves. With this in mind my photo partner and I located a bison kill that a pack of wolves had made several days before. Figuring this was our best opportunity to get close enough to the wolves to get some images we decided to concentrate our efforts at this location. Every morning we would arrive at the break of day and begin the long process of waiting for something to happen. Sure, the wolves were there but they were to far away and the falling snow was making obtaining quality images very difficult. None-the-less we stayed put. In the morning of the third day, while large fluffy snowflakes filled the air, all ten members of the pack got up and walked off single file, down the river bottom deep into the valley and well out of sight. Of course we were disappointed in this development but since there was nothing we could do we just waited. We spent the rest of the day looking around for other wolves, returning back to the bison kill around 3 PM. Sitting in the car looking out at the snow was coming. A coyote had moved in on the kill since the wolves were absent. I am sure the coyote was happy to get a free meal courtesy of its larger cousin. It feed for several hours. Around 4 PM we could see ten dark dots way out in the valley moving towards. It was the pack returning. We quickly set up our camera gear anticipating their return. Unfortunately for the coyote he couldn’t see the returning wolves from his vantage point. Knowing the rivalry between wolves and coyotes we knew this could be a very interesting encounter. The wolves dropped into the river valley and thus out of site as they returned to their right-full kill. Suddenly the wolves popped up near the bison kill and caught the coyote red-handed. At first the coyote laid flat down in the snow and flattened its ears hoping he would go unnoticed, however these are wolves he was hiding from, not some near-sighted non-predator. The wolves spotted him right away. Knowing he was spotted the coyote sprung up to flee. What I found amazing right away was the coyote didn’t run off to the right or left but instead turned and started running directly towards us without hesitation. All ten wolves start in hot pursuit. Five of the wolves in one line charged after the coyote, which meant they were running right at us. I thought this is amazing and I couldn’t believe our good luck. The coyote ran directly up to us passing by to our right and then did something amazing, he laid down about 20 feet behind us and curled up into a ball as if to say, “tell the wolves I am not here”. The wolves wanted to get the coyote so bad they quickly surrounded us keeping back about 50 to 70 feet. This left us and the coyote completely surrounded by about 5 or six wolves. Again I thought that I couldn’t believe our luck. I was capturing one amazing image after another of wild wolves at point blank range. This is a wildlife photographers dream come true. I also realized that we were being used by the coyote for protection. Somehow the coyote knew that if he got close enough to us and laid down the wolves wouldn’t come any closer and do you know what? He was right. The standoff lasted only about 5 or 6 minutes before the coyote got up. It moved closer to us drawing all the wolves over to our right side. Once all the wolves were concentrated on one side the coyote ran right in front of us to the opposite side and then really put on the speed leaving the wolves and us behind. The wolves watched as the coyote ran as fast as it could away. The looks on the wolves faces said it all. “Ok you’ll get away this time Mr. Coyote but you won’t be so lucky next time”. About four of the wolves trotted up the mountain side while the remaining five or six returned to the kill. Shortly after visiting the kill the remaining wolves gathered together and started to howl allowing us to capture some amazing images. All total the event lasted about 15 or 20 minutes and I shot nearly 900 images. This was an amazing encounter that will be burned into my memory forever. Until next time… Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the US to study and photograph wildlife. He can be followed on twitter and facebook. He can also be found at www.naturesmart.com.
Hibernation
Hibernation is one of the most interesting and yet one of the most misunderstood aspects of nature. Oh sure, just about everyone grasps the general
Gray Fox
I love how nature changes and adapts. If you think about it, adapting is the hallmark of nature. It’s what nature does best. For without change or the ability to adapt nature could not exist. Which brings me to a very interesting critter. A critter that has changed and adapted in a very unique and interesting way. It is the Gray Fox, (Urocyon cinereoargenteus)? Now I am sure you are familiar with the Red Fox, (Vulpes vulpes). It’s the common fox of fields and woodlands that can be found world wide. However the Gray Fox is found only in the Americas. The Gray Fox is slightly smaller than the Red Fox and if you didn’t look at it closely you might not notice the differences between the two species. Gray Fox are grizzled gray in color with a rusty nape, shoulders and across the chest. Red Fox can sometimes have a similar dark color. Also, both have short legs and long busy tails. So distinguishing between the two can be tricky. But there is one feature that makes telling the difference between the two foxes simple and easy. The tip of the tail. The Red Fox will have a white tip while the Gray Fox will have a black tip. Simple as that. By the way, coyote and wolves also have black tips. Similar to the Red Fox, the Gray Fox is a nocturnal hunter. It also hunts just before sunset and just before sunrise. Being active during this time period is called crepuscular. The Gray Fox is more omnivorous than other foxes, feeding on small mammals such as mice and voles during winter and large insects and fruit during summer. This is where the change and adaptation comes in. The Gray Fox is usually seen hunting on the ground but they also climb trees to get to fruit. In fact they are sometimes called Treefox because they spend so much time in trees. Red Fox don’t climb trees. Gray Fox climb trees not only for food but they also climb trees to escape predators and to sleep and rest. They are able to shinny up a vertical tree trunk due to a unique shoulder joint adaptation. They have a specialized shoulder joint that allows the front legs to rotate outward thus allowing the front legs to grab or hug a tree trunk. The hind feet push or propel the fox up the tree while the front legs hold on. Once up the tree trunk it jumps from branch to branch or simply walks along the horizontal branches. It descends the tree by backing down or running headfirst down a sloping branch before jumping. Usually seen alone or in pairs, the Gray Fox have a relatively small home range of just less than 3 square miles. However they are known to travel up to 50 miles to find a mate or to locate an unoccupied territory. They are believed to mate for life with both the male and female defending the territory. Usually they have one main den dug into the earth along with several back up dens they need to abandon the main den site. Mothers give birth to 4-7 young fox called kits. The young are born blind and helpless. The male does all the hunting and brings food to the family in the den. The male never goes into a den which has kits and just leaves the food outside or with the mother. The kits remain in the den with their mothers until they are old enough to come out and play. The kits are weaned at about 6-7 weeks. The young stay with the parents for the entire first summer but are dispersed at the end of the summer just before the parents start to mate again. In many areas the Gray Fox is fairly common but as I said before, it goes unnoticed. Next time you are lucky enough to see a fox be sure to take a minute and look at the tip of the tail. Until next time Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the country to study and photograph wildlife. He can be contacted via his web page at www.naturesmart.com
American Robins in winter
Each winter it seems to surprise a lot of people to see American Robins (Turdus migratorius) eking out a living in the snow and cold. Well, actually it’s not uncommon at all. In fact a small percentage of the entire population of American Robins don’t migrate at all.
Albino White-tailed Deer
I rolled out of bed at 4 AM muttering unpleasantries under my breath about getting out of a nice warm bed on a very cold winter morning. But getting up early and venturing out into the bone crushing cold is part of the job for this wildlife photographer. Three layers of clothing, extreme weather boots and my warmest hat and gloves and I am all set to go. I made sure my camera batteries were fully charged the night before. Camera memory cards were in my pocket and my GPS was fired up. I was all set to go. I drove about 3 hours one way to search for a very special critter. For the past four years I have been traveling to this region to photograph a unique animal. So what is this special critter that beckons me out of bed? A pure white White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus). All across this great nation there are pockets of these white ghosts roaming the forests. Estimates are about one in every 30,000 deer is a white one. I have read other estimates that only one in every 100,000 are white. Of course there is no way to confirm this but I am comfortable in saying that white deer are not very common at all. Which brings me to the sticky subject of why are these deer white and what do you call them? Most people would call them albino. Albinism is a condition where the body cannot produce the pigments needed to color hair and skin. It is caused by a recessive gene. In order for albinism to occur it requires both parents to carry the recessive gene and pass it onto the young. By definition Albinism is the complete absence of normal pigmentation in an animal. This means no pigment at all resulting in the animal having pink eyes, nose, ears and hooves. The lack of pigment in the irises of the eyes reduces the animal’s ability to see, combined that with a pure white coat that makes them stand out like a snowball on a summer’s day means these animals don’t last very long in the predator and prey world of nature. In fact most albino animals don’t live very long and rarely live long enough to reproduce. So how does that explain the pockets of white deer in the woods? I suspect it’s because the deer are not true albino but rather a partial or imperfect albino. The white deer I am photographing don’t have pink eyes, but rather have gray to almost blue eyes. Apparently they have a small amount of pigment in their eyes giving them relatively normal eyesight and thus the ability to survive and reproduce. Some deer are white with patches of brown giving them the appearance of being spotted or looking like a pinto horse. These are called piebald deer. Piebald deer are thought to be slightly more common than albino deer and presumably live longer and reproduce more often than albino deer. The same genetic deficiency causes piebald deer as it does in albino deer. I have always enjoyed photographing the oddities of nature and these white deer are some of my favorites. Until next time Stan Tekiela is an author/naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the US to study and photograph wildlife. He can be contacted via his web page at www.naturesmart.com
White-tailed Deer Antlers
I believe there is a boarder-line obsession between certain people and the antlers of deer. It doesn’t matter the species of deer–White-tailed or Mule. Just as long as the deer has antlers. And it’s not the deer but rather the antlers on the deer. I don’t think this is a bad thing. Just a fact of human nature. To that end, let’s take a brief look at antlers. And I do mean antlers. Not horns. Anyone who knows me is no doubt laughing right about now at this statement. I am constantly correcting my friends and acquaintances when they refer to “horns” on deer. I realize that to some people, antlers and horns may appear similar but they are very, very different. Let’s start with horns. Horns are usually permanent structures that emanate from the heads of certain mammals such as cattle, sheep, goats and antelopes. They have a bony core or center which is covered by lots of long and fibrous stringy material (keratinous) which is similar to your finger nails. All of these fibrous strands are bound together to make up the durable horn that you see on the animals head. In many species both the male and female have horns. Also, horns are usually not branched but they do twist and turn dramatically. Usually horns are permanent and grow longer and wider with age. Big Horn Sheep have a good example of horns. As the male sheep grows its horns become thicker and longer curling around the sides of its head. When fully developed the horns will form a full curl or circle. You can even judge the age of the Big Horns by the number of rings on the horns. I might also argue that horns are used for defense and sparing with other males more than antlers. Antlers not only grow differently they serve to function differently. Antlers are a pair of hard bony growths usually elongated and often multi-branched. Antlers are composed completely of bone unlike the horn which only has a bony center. In most species of deer, but not all, only the males have antlers, unlike horns. Male deer use their antlers to impress females and to also intimidate other males. Antlers are also used for sparring with other males. However when it comes to protecting itself, deer usually use their hooves to deliver a knock out blow with one of their powerful kicks. Another major difference between the two is the fact that antlers are deciduous, falling off each year and then grown again. Antlers are never a good gage of the animal’s age but are a good indication of the owners health and nutrition. Staring in January and lasting through March, male deer drop their antlers. As the levels of testosterone in the males body drops the antlers fall off. Antlers are usually shed one at a time usually within a 24 hour period. Some deer drop both antlers at the same time. I’ve only seen it once but they don’t appear to knock their antlers against a stationary object like a tree but rather vigorously shake their head back and forth as if they had an itch they couldn’t scratch. During this process antler breaks free and goes flying. There is always a small amount of blood at the stump of the newly dropped antler. The blood dries quickly and within a day or two, a new growth of velvet closes over the stump and a new antler starts to form. The levels of testosterone increase and the antlers start to grow. Of course it takes months for the new antlers to grow and develop. During development, it’s important the male deer doesn’t damage the growing antlers and they never use them to fight or spar until the velvet is shed at the end of summer. Of course there is always an exception to the rules in the natural world. After all, there are no absolutes in nature. The Pronghorn, which is sometimes incorrectly called antelope, has a horn that is replaced each year. So this is a critter that has a hybrid horn/antler. It grows just like a horn but is shed each year just like an antler. This goes to show you that just when you think you know something about nature, there is always more to know. Until next time Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the US to study and photograph wildlife. He can be contacted at his web page at www.naturesmart.com.
Owls
I believe there is a group of birds that intrigues people more than any other kind of bird. It’s a very diverse group of birds in a family with a strange name called Strigidae. They have many unique and interesting features which only add to the allure of these birds. These birds are the owls. Owls in the strigid family range from tiny sparrow size owls all the way up to large and menacing proportions. Most, if not all, are colored with a mixture of natural tones in various patterns to make them blend into the environment during the day when they are roosting and resting. All owls have large round heads that are almost as wide as their bodies. They look like they don’t have any shoulders at all, unlike hawks. They have flat faces and some have tufts of feathers on their heads that resemble horns or ears. These horns or ears have nothing to do with hearing but it’s thought to add to their daytime camouflage, allowing them to blend into an environment with many sticks and twigs. They all have large eyes position on the front of their heads giving them a human-like appearance. In addition they have eyelids that lower from the top down adding to the eerie human resemblance. Their eyes are huge in comparison to their heads. So large in fact that the eyes take up most of the space in the skull leaving little room for the brain. The eyes are so large they can’t even move around in their sockets. Having eyes that are fixed in their sockets severely limits the vision from side to side. To combat this problem, all owls have many extra vertebrate in their necks. You and I have seven vertebrae in our necks. Owls have 14 vertebrae allowing them to rotate their heads 280 degrees without shifting their body position. Despite what some might believe, they cannot turn their heads all the way around. Owls are found in just about any habitat on the face of the earth. From the deserts to rain forests, and from the Arctic tundra to the largest cities and everywhere in-between, owls are finding homes to thrive and survive. Biochemical evidence derived from DNA analyses supports that owls are closely related to nighthawks and nightjars. Owls are not closely related to hawks as was once thought. A similarity between owls and hawks is simply a function of convergent evolution associated with similar hunting and food needs. In other words, they both hunt for small animals and birds so they both developed similar traits such as talons and hooked beaks. Many but not all owls hunt at night which reduces the competition with the day time (diurnal) raptors such as hawks and eagles. However there are a few owl species that hunt during the day. The Northern Hawk Owl is a good example of this. Named for it’s hawk like appearance and hawk like flight, the hawk owl can be seen perched high at the top of a tree surveying the terrain for any movement of a small mammal such as a vole or mouse. Using lightning speed reflexes, the hawk owl jumps from its perch and swoops down on the unsuspecting prey at a high rate of speed and snatches it up before it knows what hits them. Within a milli-second the hawk owl lifts the prey to it’s beak, while still in flight, and delivers a killing bite to the back of the neck dispatching the prey immediately before the prey has a chance to bite or even fight back. The Northern Hawk Owl is such an efficient hunter it can afford to cache extra prey items for later consumption. Often it will fly up to the main trunk of a tree where the bark is peeling away and will stuff the prey behind the bark. Safely stored, it will find this location later by memory to retrieve the meal. This winter has been an amazing year for the Northern Hawk Owl. Large numbers have come down from Canada and are spending the winter in parts of the US. I have been fortunate enough to spend some time studying and photographing this magnificent owl. Let me tell you, they are amazing. Until next time Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the US to study and photograph wildlife. He can be contacted via his web page at www.NatureSmart.com
Yellowstone Wolves part 1
Wolves in Yellowstone Thick heavy clouds laden with snow clung to the mountain tops that surround the wide expansive valley before me. Fortunately the wind was dead calm because the air temperatures were 15 to 18 degrees below zero F. Off in the distance I can hear the low mournful howl of a lone wolf. It is a true and absolute sound of nature that I never get tired of hearing. I have returned for my annual winter trip to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. This magnificent park has an intact ecosystem complete with the top predator the Gray Wolf (Canis lupus). I have been following the saga of the wolves in the park since 66 wolves were reintroduced back in 1995-96. This year I am joined by several photographers from around the US and we are concentrating on finding and photographing wolves. I think many people who have never had any experience with wolves have some ill-conceived ideas about these close relatives to our family dogs. They think wolves are blood thirsty killers that run around the country-side killing indiscriminately and often just for the fun of it. I can tell you that in all my years of studying and photographing wolves I have never seen anything even remotely approaching this kind of behavior. In fact it’s just the opposite. Our first encounter with a wolf occurred within a day of arriving in the park. A large gray female that was heavily battle scarred. She was notable because she was all alone. She was moving across the mountains and valleys in search of a mate or a pack to accept her. For several days she had been trying to work her way into the famed Druid pack which is one of the most well known packs and controlled a large territory. According to the park’s wolf biologist this female had been successful at taking down a female elk all by herself and she was allowing the Druid pack to feed on her kill. It was a jester of good will and open heartedness on the part of the lone female. However the three established females of the Druid pack still wouldn’t allow her into the pack so she was forced to hang outside of the pack. The following day the neighboring Black-tailed pack made a kill near the Druid’s territory so the Druids went over to see if they could get in on the kill and get something to eat. The Druids hadn’t eaten in many days and many of the members of the Druid pack were suffering from mange which is caused by a parasitic mite that causes intense itching and hair loss. It was obvious the Druid pack was not doing well. Predictably the Black-tailed pack successfully defended their food source by attacking the intruding Druid pack and a savage fight broke out between the two packs. One of the Druid females was as severally injured with several large neck lacerations. The Druid pack retreated back to their territory only to find the lone gray female waiting for them. The Druid pack took out their frustration on the lone female by attacking her and driving her off. The lone female ended up with a limp but otherwise seemed ok. After the attack we stood and watched the Druid pack licking their wounds and it was clear that the female that was severely injured wasn’t doing well. She just stood there and didn’t move. So to sum it up, the Druid pack was starving to death and many members were suffering from mange. It was clear that these wolves were in bad shape. The sun was setting and so we packed up for the day. The following morning we made our way back into the valley at first light only to find that the severely injured female of the Druid pack was dead. Her frozen lifeless body lay in the snow. The rest of the pack was nowhere to be found. The park biologist retrieved the lifeless body and brought it back to the road where we all got a close look at the pain and misery these wolves face every single day. It was clear that these wolves are not indiscriminant killers terrorizing the country side. In fact, they are just the opposite; the top predators of the valley were struggling to hang on to their own lives in the face of the glory of Mother Nature. I will continue next time with the saga of the lone female. Will she find a pack that will accept her in or will she start her own pack? I guarantee it will be worth the read. Until next time Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the US to study and photograph wildlife. He can be contacted via his web page at www.naturesmart.com
Yellowstone wolves part 2
For those of you who missed part 1 or if you need a reminder–when I left off the battle scared, gray female was desperately trying to gain acceptance into the Druid pack. However the resident females were not allowing her. About half the members of the Druid pack are suffering from Mange (a parasitic mite that causes intense itching and hair loss) and they haven’t been able to find any food for days. They tried to steal some food from the neighboring pack and got into a big fight which left one of the Druid females mortally wounded.. In the early morning light the dead lifeless body of the female wolf was lying in the snow. Our fears came true. But where were the rest of the Druid pack? And where was the lone gray female that was so desperately seeking to gain acceptance? We drove east, up and through the narrow rocky pass. On the other side is the Lamar valley. The valley is wide with a shallow river meandering through the center. Scanning the mountains sides along the way we were unsuccessful at locating any wildlife. It’s still early in the day and the clouds are thick and laden with snow. About 3 or 4 miles into the valley on the north side we are surprised to located the lone gray female wolf. She was sitting with the two black, male wolves from the Druid pack. Now this was interesting. This took us by surprise because the gray female was a good 10 or more miles east of where we saw her last night. And what was more amazing was she was accompanied by two very healthy male wolves. The three stood up to shake off the snow that was falling. They started greeting each other with face licks and wagging tails which is normal with all canids. We were thrilled to see this because they appeared very happy together. We talked about the possibilities of a new pack forming right before our eyes. The three wolves turned and walking up the mountain towards the ridge and went out of sight. The rest of the day was uneventful and actually rather boring. At the end of the day about thirty minutes before the sun slipped behind the mountains that lay to the west of the valley, an extraordinary event unfolded before our eyes and cameras. While photographing a coyote near the road we suddenly noticed several elk running through the snow up on the top of the mountain ridge just in front of us. We swung out cameras up to get a better look and saw a heard of about 20 female elk running very fast across the snowy ridge. Following in hot pursuit was the gray female followed by the two black males. The hunt was on. The elk and wolves disappeared behind the ridge. Predicting that they would emerge just a bit to the east we all piled into my truck and we started heading that direction and just as we predicted a lone female elk appeared on the ridge. The elk was running very hard and fast. It was apparent the wolf must be on her tail. A second later the gray female wolf appeared on the same ridge running in the deep snow. The elk turned and started to run down the mountain right towards us. We pulled into a parking lot for a small grouping of buildings to get a better vantage point. We could see the gray wolf making huge leaps through the deep snow as she ran down the mountain side. She was about 75 feet behind the elk, which made her too far back to get a picture with both the elk and wolf together. Passing behind the buildings the elk made a break for the road. Again we piled back into my truck and pulled out onto the road and stopped. About 300 yards in front of use the elk crossed the road at a full trot and we could clearly see she was out of breath and struggling to keep going. Next, the wolf hit the deep snow banks that lined the road and did a face-plant but managed to recover and continue the pursuit. However the wolf lost valuable ground. The elk ran out across the valley heading directly for the river. We all knew what this meant. The elk was heading for the safety in the river. Her long legs would allow her to stand in the freezing water knowing the wolf wouldn’t enter the deep water. The elk made it to the river and from a great distance we could see water splashing as she ran into the deep section the river. Moments later the wolf arrived and was unable to pursue any further. It was a stand-off. Now we would see just how determined the female would be. Would she wait out the elk or give up and return? Meanwhile behind us the two black male wolves appeared on the ridge looking for the female who was out of sight. They started howling but got no response from the female. About thirty minutes later a faint howling came from the female. Apparently she had given up the stand-off and was trotting across the valley towards the males. Upon meeting up, the males mobbed her and greeted her with many licks and wagging tails. The three looked so happy to be with each other. By now the light was gone and darkness was upon us. The three wolves walked up the mountain into the darkness, still hungry but at least they had each other. Until next time Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the US to study and photograph wildlife. He can be contacted via his web page at www.naturesmart.com
Sandhill Cranes in Nebraska
The weather in south central Nebraska in March is a tricky thing. It can be warm, sunny and most spring like or it can be like it is right now. Cold with a strong north wind. The clouds are thick and low in the sky. To add insult to weather injury, there are periods of snow then rain then back to snow. All of which is blowing horizontally due to the strong winds. Needless to say, the weather could be much better for my annual trek to Nebraska for the migration of the Sandhill Crane (Grus Canadensis). Each and every spring for at least the past 20 thousand years, south central Nebraska has played host to 90 percent of the world’s Sandhill Cranes. The birds spend the winter in west Texas, New Mexico, Mexico and southeastern Arizona. They begin their long migration northward in late Feb and early March. By the second week of March the migration is in full swing. That is why we are here right now. Huge flocks of Lesser Sandhill Cranes funnel down to an 80 mile (or less) stretch of the Platte River in Nebraska. Here they stop for up to several weeks, feeding and gathering strength to push onward on the longest part of the migration to Canada and Alaska. For those of you who are familiar with Sandhill Cranes in the eastern flyway, the Lesser Sandhill Crane is a smaller version of the Greater Sandhill Crane. Let’s go over the differences. The Greater Sandhill which occurs mainly east of the Missouri River, stands nearly 4 feet tall at 46 inches. The Lesser Sandhill, which is found mainly west of the Missouri, is 4 inches shorter. This is enough of a size difference to notice from a distance. Mainly the legs of the Lesser are shorter and less robust and when you see them flying the legs of the Lesser don’t stick out as far. There is also a four pound weight difference between the two. What is really noticeable is the length of the bill. The Greater Sandhill Crane has a bill that is longer than the width of it’s head while the Lesser Sandhill has bill that is equal to the width of it’s head. This year I have brought 12 brave souls with me to witness what I feel is one of the world’s greatest wildlife spectacles. This year’s group is so much fun and so enthusiastic despite the bad weather. We spend much of our time laughing while we brave the elements. Our transport is a small bus (the magic bus) with large windows. The only problem is, I’m the driver so everyone holds on tight and wears their seat belts. Each morning we wake before 4 AM, grab a bite to eat and race off down the road to a large blind somewhere along the banks of the Platte River. We pile into the blind in total darkness. The next several hours is spent in a well concealed blind watching as tens of thousands of cranes wake up and get ready to head out into the surrounding agricultural fields for the day. It’s truly amazing to see and hear the massive flocks of cranes flying around, landing and taking off again. After the blinds in the morning we zoom around the rest of the day in the magic bus finding monster large flocks of cranes feeding in the agricultural fields. We do some general birding, finding species such as Harris’s Sparrow and White-crowned Sparrow. However, at time of year it’s the waterfowl that really puts on a show. Gargantuan flocks of Snow Geese fill the fields to feed on spilled grain from the previous season. Suddenly the geese will lift off sending a torrent of geese into the air. A near defining roar emanates from the flock as they wheel around in the air before landing back in the field again. Our group stands with binoculars pressed to our eyes watching one amazing spectacle after another despite the wind, snow and rain. We all run back to the bus to get out of the nasty elements and warm up, all the time marveling at the sights and sounds of Nebraska. But all too soon our four days are up and we have to head back home. So once again the group loads up onto the bus to take the long ride home. However everyone is filled with amazing memories of the sights and sounds of one of the world’s greatest wildlife events. This group can now cross this trip off the bucket list. Until next time Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the US to study and photograph wildlife. He can be contacted via his web page at www.naturesmart.com