MOU subscribers: If people want to see lots, like dozens, of approachable, countable, Whooping Cranes that they can add to their life list, they should get down to the Rockport-Port Aransas TX area and take one of the commercial tour boats that specialize in showing folks Whooping Cranes. At times the boats get people to 50-100 yards to some of the more approachable Whooping Cranes. A person can less spectacular, though less Disneyesque views, of Whooping Cranes from the observation tower on the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. The birds arrive sometime in November and stay till early April. If a person does the 21 hour drive from Minneapolis to Rockport to see WCs they won't have to worry about trespassing or countability of the Whooping Cranes they see. Onward! Steve Stevan Hawkins San Antonio TX -----Original Message----- From: Minnesota Birds [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Robert P Russell Sent: Sunday, September 18, 2011 3:55 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [mou-net] Whooping Crane Ethics... The law in Minnesota reads that even if private land is not posted, trespassing without permission is breaking the law. No ifs, ands, or buts. Secondly, the whooping crane eastern partnership (WCEP) has been urging folks for years to observe these birds from a respectable distance. As the original observers stated you could easily see these from your car. Most birds do not see cars as a threat and they usually make good "blinds." WCEP is trying not to habituate these birds to humans. Several have gotten into trouble after becoming habituated including wintering birds that were walking around suburban cul-de-sacs in Florida and taking handouts from home owners. A couple of birds that became too comfortable with humans ended up in jail (long-term captivity=permanently out of the wild flock). If you want closeups of whoopers go to the whooper exhibit at the International Crane Foundation at Baraboo which has a minimarsh and a natural background and take all the photos you want. Otherwise try thinking about the birds' welfare and not your own ego. Bob Russell ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html