Saturday, February 3, 2007, 11:28 pm
Young Whooping Cranes die in storm
DUNCANVILLE, TEXAS — I got back from a great day of birding to see sad news on the Texas birding list. Eighteen Whooping Cranes that were supposed to be the start a new migratory flock have been killed by the storms in Florida this week.
This sort of disaster is precisely the reason conservationists are trying to establish a second migratory flock. Whooping Crane numbers are increasing, but with so few birds in so few geographic locations, one or two natural disasters could mean extinction for these magnificent birds.
David J. Ringer
