This cache has been archived.

a1bob66: Time for this one to rest. Thanks for the fun.

GC5F74Z ▼

A cache by A1BOB66 Message this owner

Hidden : 10/21/2014

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Size: Size: regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

Safari Cache at Duck Creek Park.

This traditional cache is part of the Jackson County Conservation Geocache Safari series. The safari series encourages geocachers to visit the county parks in Jackson County. Enjoy your visit to all of the safari caches, collect all of the code words from the caches and redeem them for a pathtag reward.

Be sure to follow the Safari Cache directions and rules below to have a successful cache experience.

Jackson County Conservation
Geocache Safari

Explore Jackson County parks, learn about different bird species and have fun geocaching!

#11 Pelican & Sandhill Crane

FUN AND INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN

One of the largest North American birds, the American White Pelican is majestic in the air. The birds soar with incredible steadiness on broad, white-and-black wings. Their large heads and huge, heavy bills give them a prehistoric look. On the water they dip their pouched bills to scoop up fish, or tip-up like an oversized dabbling duck. Sometimes, groups of pelicans work together to herd fish into the shallows for easy feeding. Look for them on inland lakes in summer and near coastlines in winter.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_White_Pelican/id

♦ Contrary to cartoon portrayals and common misconceptions, pelicans never carry food in their bill pouches. They use them to scoop up food but swallow their catch before flying off.

♦ Pelicans are big birds that can overheat when they’re out in the hot sun. They shed heat by facing away from the sun and fluttering their bill pouches—which contain many blood vessels to let body heat escape. Incubating parents may also stretch their wings wide to aid cooling.

♦ Pelicans are skillful food thieves. They steal from other pelicans trying to swallow large fish and are successful about one-third of the time. They also try to steal prey from Double-crested Cormorants that are bringing fish to the surface. In their dense nesting colonies, some birds even steal the food that a parent on an adjacent nest has disgorged for its young.

♦ American White Pelicans and Double-crested Cormorants are often found together. They sometimes forage together (though they mainly hunt different fish and at different depths). Cormorants even nest individually or in groups within pelican colonies.

♦ The oldest known American White Pelican at least 23 years, 6 months old and was banded in North Dakota in 1983.

FUN AND INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE SANDHILL CRANE

Whether stepping singly across a wet meadow or filling the sky by the hundreds and thousands, Sandhill Cranes have an elegance that draws attention. These tall, gray-bodied, crimson-capped birds breed in open wetlands, fields, and prairies across North America. They group together in great numbers, filling the air with distinctive rolling cries. Mates display to each other with exuberant dances that retain a gangly grace.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sandhill_Crane/id

♦ The Sandhill Crane’s call is a loud, rolling, trumpeting sound whose unique tone is a product of anatomy: Sandhill Cranes have long tracheas (windpipes) that coil into the sternum and help the sound develop a lower pitch and harmonics that add richness.

♦ Sandhill Cranes are known for their dancing skills. Courting cranes stretch their wings, pump their heads, bow, and leap into the air in a graceful and energetic dance.

♦ The earliest Sandhill Crane fossil, estimated to be 2.5 million years old, was unearthed in the Macasphalt Shell Pit in Florida.
♦ Sandhill Crane chicks can leave the nest within 8 hours of hatching, and are even capable of swimming.

♦ The oldest Sandhill Crane on record was at least 36 years, 7 months old. Originally banded in Wyoming in 1973, it was found in New Mexico in 2010.

Safari Cache Rules

(Disclaimer-The safari journal and the other safari caches do not need to be completed to claim a found it on this geocache)

1) Begin the Jackson County Conservation Geocache Safari at [ Trumpeter Swan-J.C.C.Geocache Safari #1 ] [ GCxxxx ]
2) At [ Trumpeter Swan-J.C.C.Geocache Safari #1 ] there will be blank copies of the Safari Journal for you to pickup. Additional copies are available inside the Hurstville Interpretive Center during operating hours.
3) The Safari Journal has information on the 12 Safari Caches that will need to be found.
4) Each Safari Cache has a code word on the cache container that will need to be entered into the Safari Journal.
5) Once the journal is completed with all of the code words, it can be returned to the Hurstville Interpretive Center for a special Safari pathtag.
6) All of the Safari Caches are on public use property and all rules and laws are to be followed.
7) Cache at your own risk.
8) There will be a limit of 1 pathtag per geocacher and two pathtags per family.
9) All children who complete the safari will be allowed their choice of one prize from the safari prize box located inside the Hurstville Interpretive Center.

Safari Cache Instructions

#11 Pelican and Sandhill Crane
1) The cache is located at the posted coordinates.
2) Use the information from the cache listing or the Safari Journal to locate the cache.
3) Once you find the cache, sign the log and locate the code word.
4) Enter the code word into the Safari Journal for #11 Pelican and Sandhill Crane .
5) When all of the caches have been found and all of the code words have been collected, return to the Hurstville Interpretive Center to trade your completed journal for a Safari Pathtag.

As always, be safe, be courteous, be respectful and have fun.

Please remember that all caches in the Jackson County Conservation Areas are CITO locations.

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Additional Hints (No hints available.)

Pelican & Sandhill Crane-J.C.C.Geocache Safari #11 Traditional Cache