Friends, these Greater Sandhill cranes are gathering on the Trade River for their last hurrah before going south. But surprise, one of these birds is not a sandhill, but is a rarely seen Whooping Crane. The big white one in the top of the image whose head markings are a little different than the Sandhills.  They are very white and larger than the sandhills.  These birds are extremely rare and are now bred in captivity then taught to fly using an ultralight aircraft at Naceedah Wildlife Refuge, then they are released into the wild.    Occasionally we see one who is migrating on his own with the Sandhills, it is a very rare sighting.  Sorry for the poor image, but i was stretching my telephoto.  Thanks Kim for the tip and Jim for the company. til Tomorrow MJ