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| STOP-OVER(MUSCATATUCK NWR) THE WHOOPING CRANE |
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The November sun was shinning the brightest I have ever seen and the wind was cool and crisp on this leafy autumn morn.. My love and I waited patiently for the whooping cranes! The air was alive with morning and Gods valley (Muscatatuck NWR) was breathing with Autumn bloom. Mother Nature was in tune, strumming to the tune of blue skies and wind flies on this crisp cold morning, November 8, 2004 The noises coming form the West were definitely not whooping cranes, but oh well, my camera loves wings, no matter what color they are and these geese were just begging me to take their picture. They flew high up in the sky against the trees like mountain shadows, squawking all the way! They seemed to know that special guest were coming: They were talking to me in goose language. “The whoopers are coming” “The whoopers are coming! Sure enough, no more than 10 minutes later, the special guest arrived out of the Northwest. Whooping cranes, “Class of 2004” arrived right on time! |
Today was one of the most exciting moments of my life as I watched that tryke come flying over the tree tops with those beautiful birds formed up just perfect right next to him. It was the most amazing thing. The only thing I could say was, “honey, look at that,” “well, would you look at that”? “Oh My” Oh George would you look at that”! Of course, he was looking as you can plainly see, by the picture! My breath was literally taken from my body as I watched that pilot maneuver those birds Northwest over Lake Stanfield!! |
| The cranes and the pilot flew over our heads and I felt just like I had to fly with them! I said, “come on Honey let’s go over to the other lake”! He had already told me he thought we could get a better view from Lake Linda, the little lake around the corner! 42 years of him “knowing everything about everything” convinced me to “let’s go”! So we did! We arrived at Lake Linda just minutes after the 12 cranes flew over Lake Stanfield Grabbing our cameras and barreling out of the truck, we invaded the shores of Lake Lindas beautiful blue waters. We watched as one little girl flew across the sky and another little crane had his own guide. The planes kept on flying around and around for about 10 minutes and then high above the trees a little to the west we saw cranes all alone just flying around for only a few breath taking minutes. |
| The grounds at Muscatatuck NWR were so soggy and wet that the cranes had to be air- dropped. George and I had witnessed the first air-drop of the cranes and I cannot write on this paper how I felt! I knew that God was in his Heavens and everything was all right with the world. George and I marvel at Gods wisdom, and we appreciate the work of Operation Migration to the very depths of our hearts and souls. To know that there's people in the world who really care! There are not enough words in the English language to describe the feeling! The cranes were only in the air for like minutes flying around and George snapped this picture! |
Tuesday, November 09, 2004 The telephone ringing opened my eyes like a spring tulip, “oh no” Tuesday November 9, 2004, six forty-five A.M. in the morning. What a morning for the alarm not to go off! It’s a very good friend of ours on the telephone reminding us what today is! “Hurry up”, he said, “I’m the first car at the gate and there are people behind me”! I run back in the bedroom and told him, "hurry honey, please hurry the cranes are taking off for the blue grass state, and we might even miss them"! Cameras in hand and toast for the road, we headed up highway sixty-five hoping we wouldn’t be too late. It felt kind of like the other times we headed up that way, but this time it was an appointment of destiny. We spend a lot of time at Muscatatuck NWR just checking out nature’s good earth! The many hours we spend there just cruising around keeps us in tuned with Gods Creations. . |
| As we traveled up the highway I told him, “Oh honey I hope we’re not too late to see them take off. He said, “Don’t worry honey, if we are, we’ll just cruise around and watch autumn open”. We get to the gates and roll on in, move around and find where everyone is parked. There are cameras set up everywhere; there are people from all walks of life. I saw license plates from Florida, New York, Canada, Arkansas, Kentucky, Illinois and then of course people from all over Indiana just like us. We were not too late; we got there just in time to see the pilots start testing the wind factor! How beautiful they are in the November morning sun. It’s like watching the heavens open up on angels’ wings They flew around for awhile and then decided to scrub the take-off because the wind was twelve miles per hour and the take off was scrubbed for the day! The wind factor has to be just right for the flight! Then one of the pilots gave the waiting crowd an air show, anyway that is what I call it! I know his name, but George says I shouldn’t write peoples personal names on my web pages! But beautiful pilot of the morning, I thank you for the air show! I will never forget it as long as I live!!! THANKS, THANKS, THANKS I HOPE MY ALARM CLOCK GOES OFF IN THE MORNING, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2004 AT SIX A. M. LIKE IT SUPPOSE TOO! ©MARY ALICE BOWLES FREE LANCE WRITER SOUTHERN INDIANA |
| NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER GEORGE W. BOWLES, SR. |
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