For the second time this year, on 9 September 2011, two Whooping Cranes have been discovered in Rice County. They are in a wetland on the south side of County Road 9, a couple of miles west of Decker Avenue. I suspect, like the cranes seen this spring, these birds are from the flock that breeds in Wisconsin and winters in Florida. Although the birds are about a quarter-mile from the roadside, observers are cautioned not to trespass into the field or wetland and to use caution against disturbing the cranes. Photos of both cranes are on my blog: http://dantallmansbirdblog.blogspot.com -- Dan or Erika Tallman Northfield, Minnesota http://sites.google.com/site/tallmanorum http://dantallmansbirdblog.blogspot.com http://picasaweb.google.com/danerika [log in to unmask] ".... the best shod travel with wet feet" "Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes ...."--Thoreau ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html