19 Sunday Mar 2017
Posted in Art, environment, Nature, wildlife
I recently traveled to Lincoln, Nebraska to see a beautiful new show from Heather Henson’s Ibex Puppetry called Crane: On Earth, In Sky. This spectacular Hoop Dance was performed by the show’s co-creator, Ty Defoe. The composite is created from 12 frames.
22 Saturday Mar 2014
Posted in Art, environment, Nature, wildlife
The Platte River is a critical stopover for Sandhill Cranes during spring migration. Roughly 80% of the world population of Sandhills – about 500,000 – use this area between mid February and mid March. The stretch of river that remains useful for this species, and millions of other waterfowl, is shrinking as water is diverted for agriculture and development. Climate change to more extreme weather patterns of drought and floods give invasive woody plants the opportunity to become established in the already shallow water and turn once safe sandbar roosts to inhospitable islands of vegetation.
In Grand Island, NE, the Crane Trust is working hard to preserve the natural habitat along the Platte River for both of North America’s cranes – the abundant Sandhill Cranes, and the world’s rarest Whooping Cranes who also rely on this waterway during their 2500 mile migration to Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada.
Photo by Ted Thousand, ©2014 – all rights reserved.
22 Friday Apr 2011
A trip to the Platte River, Nebraska in March included a stop at the Henry Doorley Zoo in Omaha where our group was treated to a behind the scenes tour. It actually turned out to be an “in the scenes” tour as we were lured by our host into the frozen world of penguins! They have no fear of people, and often got too close for me to focus my camera.
This last photo is of a King Penguin. I’m not sure of the other two species, but all were in the exhibit together and got along very well.
