Chattanooga

An afternoon visit to the Chattanooga Zoo was a fun. We not only saw, but heard the Kookaburra!

Journey's favorite part was watching these very active Red Pandas move about their enclosure.

So adorable!

I loved the Giant Anteaters! Their feet and face are so interesting, actually every bit of them is pretty fascinating.

And then the adorable monkeys....

....and Meerkats!

Asher took pictures of the animals and added quotes.

Afterwards we stayed a night with our friends, Chris and Kim at their house on Signal Mountain. We enjoyed dinner together downtown and then walked to the Chattanooga Choo Choo, a hotel/ entertainment complex within the historical train terminal that was restored in 1973.

I was really impressed with the restrooms! I mean, come on, FLAMINGO wallpaper!

All the World's Cranes

As I was researching things to do in Wisconsin, I found our AZA membership covered the International Crane Foundation! This place was fantastic! They have ALL 15 species of cranes that exist around the world, ten of which are threatened or endangered. This is the only place where you can see all of them!

Grey-crowned Crane  (above)                           Sarus Crane (below)

Demoiselle Crane  (above)                           Wattled Crane (below)

We thought this might be a quick visit, but there was so much to see and learn. We have Sandhill Cranes in our yard and here we learned they have four types of calls.

And finally we came to the Whooping Cranes and the most interesting story.

Whooping Cranes are endangered. At one point there were only 21 wild birds left in the world! One of the International Crane Foundation founders, George Archibald, decided to try something unusual. He attempted to form a pair bond with Tex, a bird that had become imprinted on humans in a zoo. He moved his bed into her room, spoke to her and even danced with her, as cranes would do. Soon they began building a nest together and thanks to artificial insemination technology, she laid an egg. It was some years before her eggs became viable, but eventually she had a chick named, Gee Whiz. Sadly she was killed by raccoons shortly after, but Gee Whiz went on to father many cranes in breeding program that brought the total numbers up. In the fall after we were here, the 7 Florida birds dropped to 5 when one in our area found a Sandhill Crane girlfriend. Before they were able to reproduce, FWC moved him and his brother to Louisiana to be with other Whooping Cranes where they hope they'll breed.

You could spend anywhere from 45 minutes to half a day here depending on what you want to experience. We ended up spending three hours, and I could have stayed longer. We watched a beautiful film, read the displays and visited all 15 cranes. Some were in their walled enclosure, so we looped back around a second time and waited for them to come outside. Eventually they did. This is a great place doing great work to save cranes and improve their habitat around the world. They have a nice gift shop too.

Sax Zim Bog & Duluth zoo

If you've watched The Big Year or read any birding books, you've probably heard of Sax Zim Bog, a place as unique as its name. We only had a few hours here as we moved from Rainy Lake to Duluth. We dropped the RV in the woods at what becomes the local ice skating rink in the winter, and went off to look for owls! Before you arrive, download the birder's map which shows the interesting mixture of public and private land and bird feeders with viewing areas provided by area homeowners! 

I made the mistake of assuming this boardwalk would continue thru Auggie's Bogwalk. It's extremely short, and of course I wasn't going to turn around, so I continued walking thru the bog and soon my shoes were underwater. Oh well. Next time, boots for birding the bog!

These little ferns were so lush and delicate!

We also explored the Fringed Venetian Bog and Winterberry Bog where I found the Winter Wrens I had heard about from a Sax Zim Bog volunteer we met on our way into the area.

This boardwalk did continue throughout, and it was a lovely walk.

Along the junction of 7 and 28, I found a Great Gray Owl! I'd seen one in our campground in Alaska once, but this place is known for them, so this was one of the birds I was hoping to see. Unfortunately it flushed as I was walking thru the area. Someday I'll get a photo of this incredible owl. 

The best time to visit is winter when you can see the owls easier and the bird feeders are loaded up. In the spring 19 species of warblers nest here! But you'll want to bring lots of bug spray!

We ended up staying at Indian Point campground as the suggestion of a birder I contacted in the area. This ended up being a nice location right on the water so Asher could fish and I could walk the trails.

Our campground trail feeds into the Waabizheshikana Trail. I found some great warblers in our campsite and along this trail. Yes, those are ski slopes you see in the distance! 

The Lake Superior Zoo is right down the road from our campground and has a great collection of animals including this Angolan Colobus and her one month old baby! 

Journey loved the lemurs. Who doesn't?

And of course, we never pass up a chance to see an axolotl!

 

We really enjoyed the nocturnal building, got to hear a Kookaburra calling and see a White-napped Crane from Asia. Our visit was free with our AZA pass!

N.D.'s Prairie Pothole region & Fargo zoo

Our last night in North Dakota was spent at a Harvest Host who lives among waterfowl production areas in the Prairie Pothole region. These shallow ponds and lakes were created by retreating glaciers many years ago and are now where nearly half of our migratory ducks come from. Many of the roads here seem to cross right thru the ponds.  

Above, Asher is sweeping the slide before we pull it in. 

As we drove this road, I spotted juvenile black terns sitting on a stump. We waited for a couple minutes and got to see the adult swoop in to feed them!

I was delighted to see the beautiful lake at our host's property and find it was also heavily populated with black terns. What a lovely place!

More Black Terns

I could hardly contain my birding excitement and left early the next morning to go explore the nearby ponds and prairies.

I found a NWR sign for Chase Lake Wetland Management District and took their wildlife drive. Most of it is grasslands, but there are also lakes and a forest area- nice diversity.

Northern Harrier (above)                   Vesper Sparrow (below)

Our last stop in North Dakota was the Red River Zoo in Fargo. We used our AZA reciprocal membership for free entry,  my favorite kind of road trip leg stretch. 

We were delighted to hear the Kookaburra calling.

Journey's favorite- prairie dogs

Jacob's Sheep have four horns!

This Two Toed Sloth looked so funny hanging upside down to eat from the platform below.

We had planned to stay at a grain farm with a Harvest Host, but it didn't work out. Looks like this is the closest Journey will get to harvesting grain this year.