It’s early morning – the sun has not yet risen. In the distance I can hear the rattling calls of thousands of Sandhill Cranes as they begin to wake up for the day. I cannot yet see them, but soon the sun will rise. My husband and I are hiking on the path around the wetland where they are located, in the pitch dark in order to find our position for sunrise, when these magnificent birds will take flight.
The cranes wade in the shallow pond in order to rest at night, only to take off en masse each morning to go out and find food and socialize nearby each day. It’s freezing cold outside – even though we are in Arizona! However, it’s January and we are at an elevation of about 8000 feet here. It’s so cold I can barely hold my tripod because the metal is freezing my hands. Of course we didn’t bring enough clothing or gloves – not realizing that it would be so cold.
It was totally worth it though as the sun rose and the cranes began to take to the sky! Enjoy this video to see this wonderful scene:
More than 20,000 Sandhill Cranes roost at Whitewater Draw each winter. They are attracted to this area by the abundant wetlands, the shallow waters of Whitewater Draw, and the food sources in the area. Whitewater Draw is now the best Sandhill Crane viewing site in Arizona.
This beautiful image of Sandhill Cranes may be purchased HERE
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The American Eagle Foundation is located in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. They area 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to protecting and preserving the majestic Bald Eagle and other birds of prey. Their motto is “Educate, Repopulate, Rehabilitate”. You can see them perform the “Wings of America” Birds of Prey Show every day at Dollywood Theme Park. But getting behind the scenes at The Foundation Headquarters (located outside Dollywood theme park), was the real treat! The Headquarters houses AEF’s non-releasable birds (due to injury most of the time) and trains them for educational purposes. It’s also a place to rehabilitate sick or injured birds, provides breeding enclosures for Bald Eagles and Golden Eagles, incubates the eggs for later release into the wild, and houses all of AEF’s administrative offices.
On the tour you will get to meet Challenger – the bald eagle rescued at a young age after he had fallen from a nest in Louisiana. Challenger now has a permanent home at The American Eagle Foundation, and has the very important job of being a free-flying Eagle in stadiums and sports arenas during the playing of The National Anthem. We did get to see Challenger free-fly back and forth between 2 of our hosts, and it was very majestic!! We also got to meet other birds of prey that are housed at The Foundation, including owls, kestrels, vultures, falcons and hawks.