C-J files, Pam Spaulding
An endangered whooping crane made a short visit to Louisville last weekend.
Jeff Frank, executive director of Future Fund, Inc., a land trust working to protect open spaces and wildlife habitat in the Floyds Fork area, tells me the crane was one of several that visited the area last year, as shown in the beautiful photo, at right, taken by the C-J’s Pam Spaulding.
Birders saw it Saturday in the eastern part of Louisville, and it was gone by Sunday, Frank said.
He identified it as #36-09, a bird last reported in Tennessee in December.
Further news on the conservation front: Frank reports that Future Fund will soon close on a deal to purchase and protect 50 acres where the cranes roosted last winter. With any luck, these rare migrating birds may find refuge in eastern Jefferson County for many years to come.
After all, the cranes and Jefferson County go way back.