Whooping Cranes, Diets, and Cold

I was in Florida a few weeks ago to visit my parents. My dad was worn out dealing with my mother, so my seester and I went down there to give him some relief.

While I was down there, I had a chance to see the Whooping Cranes(http://www.operationmigration.org/) from this year's hatch fly to their final migration destination, at Chassahowitzka State Park. They are led in their first migration by an ultralight aircraft painted to look like a whooping crane. They are attended by people dressed like Whooping Cranes. The volunteers who work with them are not allowed to speak when near them, nor can they show their faces. The idea is to instill fear of humans in these birds. The only time they hear people talk, and see them un-costumed is when the veterinarians come to check them out. It's fascinating how the birds are trained to fly with the ultra-light, and there are personality profiles of each colt(that's what baby cranes are called)on the website above.

So anyway, the Hernando Times published a small article saying be at such and such a place, at such and such a time, and you can see the cranes fly over. Be there no later than 5:30 AM. I was game, I was on vacation. So I went to the place, and there was a small crowd there waiting to see the same thing I was there to see. One of the rarest birds on earth, a bird brought back from the brink of extinction...there were only 20 individuals left on this earth when effort was finally undertaken to save them. There are now about 200.

The weather was fine and clear, perfect for flying. I heard them before I saw them...kind of like I do with Sandhill Cranes. And there they were...big, white birds with black wingtips and their clattery, trumpeting calls. The whine of the ultralight. The birds flying in formation right beside and behind the aircraft, just like they would with mom and dad. It was beautiful.

Every single bird I saw, 18 of them, was killed last week during the storms in Florida. The entire 2006 hatch from Necedah. They kept them in a giant, covered enclosure at night, to secure them against predation. A storm surge came up...the birds couldn't get out, and last I heard, they all drowned.

News Flash...1 of them survived. He was hanging out with Sandhill Cranes in another location when the storms came through.

I started a diet, a sensible diet that includes excercise(urg. Denise Austin is kicking my ASS), on 23rd. January. I've lost 10 lbs. Turns out I was eating only 700-900 calories a day. My body was in starvation mode, hoarding every calorie. Turns out I wasn't eating ENOUGH. Since I've started eating more, and excercising...I'm losing weight. Go figure. The website I use is www.sparkpeople.com. It's free, totally free. The hardest part for me, really...is drinking 8 8oz. glasses of water per day. I hate water unless it's fizzy and has Coke syrup in it. I've been walking 2 miles a day since October, but I mostly poke along. I was noticing things shifting around, but no weight loss. But now...hoo boy. It's kinda cool. And I'm not hungry all the time, either. Since I have such a lot of weight to lose, I'm looking at it in 20 lb. increments...I'm halfway to my first goal. Yay!

I guess the Bears are in the Superbowl this evening, LOL! I extremely dislike football. I'm not watching the Superbowl, though it would be kinda cool to see Prince perform. Wonder if he'll do Darling Nicki? I was trying to get news on the tornadoes in FL, since my parents live near the area of destruction, and all I could get on the goddamned local news was Bears related. "Tornadoes in Florida Kill 19 ..but first, this..What size shoe does Brian Erlacher wear? Pictures at 10!" Assholes. I'll be SO glad when Superbore whatever is over. And also...I think the Superbore should be performed in the home state of one of the teams playing in it. No more domed heated/air conditioned stadiums, pussies.

It's Bear's/Colt's weather....30 degree below zero windchill.