State workers rescue sandhill cranes from Orange Lake Fla

[Donna]

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20120302/ARTICLES/120309921/-1/news?Title=FWC-attempts-rescue-of-sandhill-cranes-stuck-on-Orange-Lake 

One bird died when it was brought to shore and the other is in "bad shape," FWC spokeswoman Karen Parker said.

[Donna]

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- A sandhill crane rescued from the muck of Orange Lake in Gainesville will be rehydrated, cleaned and treated for any injuries.

The bird is being treated at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. A second crane died Friday when it was taken to shore by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Wildlife spokeswoman Karen Parker told the Gainesville Sun  that the lake became a trap for the birds because of the recent rain. Avian biologist Jim Rodgers says herons are the large birds normally seen on lakes, not cranes. He says the sandhill cranes don't have webbed feet, which also contributed to them getting stuck.