Joe Overstreet Road

Most of Florida was forecast to have heavy thunderstorms this morning, but Kenansville Florida was showing nice weather until 1pm so we headed over there to Joe Overstreet Rd. There were a lot of Sandhill Cranes all along the road. While watching the old eagle nest before we got to the lake, we met another photographer who told us where we might find an endangered Whooping Crane! Once we got to the lake, we also saw a few Bald Eagles kind of far out. One even caught a gigantic fish that it couldn’t lift more than a few feet off the ground…

Male Kestrel on a snag near the start of Joe Overstreet Rd.

Sandhill Cranes on the lookout while the others eat

A large gathering of Sandhill Cranes

Sandhill crane strutting

Lots of Sandhill Cranes

Sandhill Cranes

A Cow and her baby were interested in what we were doing there

Not the best Eagle photos, but it shows hunting behavior as it drops it’s feet in preparation to grab a fish

It missed the fish but circled around to try again

The Eagle was successful on its second attempt, grabbing a huge fish that it couldn’t lift more than a few feet off the ground

The Eagle landed near the shore to eat the fish with a pair of Sandhill Cranes nearby

Least Terns hanging out on the boat dock

Female Anhinga drying off after going for a swim. Birds look funny when viewed straight on

Least Tern flying over the lake

The Bald Eagle was not happy about the vulture flying so close

Bald Eagle digging into the fish it caught

Bald Eagle back in the air flying over a cow

Male Kestrel on top of a dead palm tree

I watched this opossum climb up a tree and then peek out from the Spanish moss. It gave me a nice big yawn!

Opossum giving a very cute look from behind the Spanish moss

Opossum sticking out its tongue at me

The baby Eaglet is still to small to see over the edge of the nest, but you can see mom tending to it

Eastern Meadowlark singing away

Eastern Meadowlark showing its goofy straight on look

Bald Eagle readjusts in the wind while sitting on the nest

We found the Whooping Crane! He currently hangs out with a pair of Sandhill Cranes in a new subdivision that is still being built.

One of the Sandhill Cranes is closer to the camera (that’s why it’s out of focus) than the Whooping Crane. This shows the size difference between them.

The Whooping Crane jumped into the air when his Sandhill Crane friends started calling out

The Whooping Crane grabs a drink of water…

… Finishing up the big gulp of water

The three amigos

Whooping Crane walking along the edge of the water

When the Sandhill Cranes started calling out and took off, I knew the Whooping Crane would soon follow…

… and I was right. The Whooping Crane began “running” on the water to begin its liftoff

The Whooping Crane takes flight

Whooping Crane flying against a dark sky. The rain that was everywhere else in Florida was getting closer to us now

The Crane trio makes a landing on the other side of the pond

As the thunder and rain began to move in, it was time to start heading home. But what a great day! Joe Overstreet always promises to show you something cool. And to find an endangered Whooping Crane was amazing. Currently, there’s only about 800 in the entire world and the population is growing at about 4.5% every year. Back in the 1940’s there were only 21. While that’s a big come back, they still have a long way to go.

What will we find next…