Texas Now Magazine Presenting the "Texas Coast Experience" | Page 22

Diane’s choice of camera and lens used was a Canon
Mark V with 21 megapixels - flawless, plus a 100400 mm. telephoto, which is much easier to carry
than a huge lens. She was able to capture their
image without disturbing them. Diane related
that she was so excited she had to calm
down before she could shoot. Ultimately
she shot over 100 takes to get that one
prize winning photo.
Having photographed Whooping Cranes
for over a decade, Diane and Dovie have
studied the plight of the cranes and
have joined in the efforts to preserve
this rare and majestic bird and its
habitats. The annual migration of
the only remaining wild flock of
Whooping Cranes in the world is
both a mystery and a miracle!
Wood Buffalo National Park in
North-Central Canada is their
summer nesting grounds and
each year like clockwork,
they return to their winter
site in the Aransas National
Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).
Danger abounds from both
nature and man on this
grueling and treacherous
2,600 mile trek which
is
traveled
twice
yearly, many times
with newly fledged
young who have just
learned how to fly.
This is the last
nesting area of
this wild flock
of Whooping

12

The Whooping Cranes
are the original “Winter
Texans” and their story is
one of near extinction to an
encouraging comeback.
Cranes and was unknown until 1954 when it was discovered
unintentionally by fire fighters. The demanding 9-year search
by the US Audubon Society, US Fish and Wildlife Service and
the Canadian Wildlife Service was finally over to find this last
nesting site. It had been imperative to find the nest site in order
to protect both US and Canadian habitats.
As fate would have it, the site selected by this dwindling flock
of wild Whooping Cranes was already protected! Wood Buffalo
National Park in Canada is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It
is the largest park in Canada at 11 million acres on the border
between Northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories. It
was established in 1922 to protect the North American bison,
but at that time, no one had an inkling it was the last nesting
site of what had once been a broad range of sites in North
America. The birds just “disappeared” every Spring from
Texas and returned in the Fall. It is an ideal environment for
the Whooping Crane: isolated and filled with shallow ponds
for nesting, marshes and abundant food.
The Whooping Cranes are the original “Winter Texans”
and their story is one of near-extinction to an encouraging
comeback. The survival of these birds is due to the continuing
efforts on the part of many people, such as Diane Loyd and
Dovie Howard, along with organizations which all strive to
protect them and their habitats.
Due to their size and their grace, the charismatic cranes
of all species have captured our imagination for centuries.