Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis) photo by Larry Jordan
Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) were once common throughout the west and especially in the California Central Valley. However their populations declined drastically as a result of unregulated hunting and habitat loss during settlement of the region.
In California, the breeding population was reduced to fewer than five pairs by the 1940s. Fortunately, all populations of Sandhill Cranes have increased, and in 2000 an estimated 465 pairs were breeding in California. Nonetheless, much of their historic range remains vacant and the population remains far below historic numbers1.
The Burrowing Owl came in second 🙁 It’s OK. I love Sandhill Cranes, they are so prehistoric! Maybe next year the Burrowing Owl will make it to the top? Read the full story here.
American Coots (Fulica americana) photos by Larry Jordan
American Coots (Fulica americana) are members of the rail family. They have to run or spatter across the water with wings flapping just to get airborne (click on photos for full sized images).
They are actually a rather handsome bird with a black head blending into slate gray upper parts. All this contrasting with a white bill and red eyes.
Although their chicks look a bit different 😉
American Coots feed mostly on aquatic plants but are very well adapted to feeding on dry land as well.
They can often be found foraging on greens near the water’s edge
What makes them so adept at feeding on either dry or mushy marsh land and also gives them the ability to run laboriously on top of the water to take flight? It’s their laterally lobed toes.
Just look at the size of those feet compared to their body size.
Coots are a rather wide-spread wetland bird.
What’s not to love about them?
They’re antics are fun to watch. Check out this video I took at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge of what could be a younger Coot trying to imitate a diving duck!
I think the American Coot deserves a little more respect!
Gray Wolf (Canis Lupus) photo courtesy of Center for Biological Diversity
Only 58 Gray Wolves survive in the wild in Arizona and New Mexico. We can’t afford to let a single one be killed. Wolf numbers are so low that at this point we’re fighting to save the entire Mexican gray wolf subspecies from going extinct.
Due to shooting, trapping and political opposition by the livestock industry, the wolf recovery program has completely stalled out. Only 58 wolves exist in the wild, yet the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is not only doing nothing to boost the population, it is trapping some of the last survivors!
The Center for Biological Diversity has five active lawsuits to stop wolf killing in Oregon, Wyoming, Minnesota and the Southwest, and the Center is the only group in the country fighting to save all four gray wolf populations in the contiguous United States.
Wolves need your help to keep their rightful place in the wild.
The Center for Biological Diversity desperately needs more funds to win these critical battles and defend wolves. Please help by donating generously right now to the Center’s Save the Endangered Species Act Fund. All gifts by December 31st will be matched dollar-for-dollar by a leading board member to make your gift go twice as far.
Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) Drake photo by Larry Jordan
Please stop over at 10000 Birds to visit my latest West Coast Beat Writer post on some Northern Pintails I spotted at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. The post includes a video of this drake and his mate foraging together as well as some Northern Pintails in flight!
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