March 10, 2020

Sandhill cranes take flight.

This morning at dawn, on Lake Mendota.



That was at 7:28, at the beginning of the sunrise run. About 20 minutes later, they were lingering by the parking lot, as if to request another photo session, in brighter lighting:

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19 comments:

Michael K said...

Sound like loons.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

I love those cranes.

When the Sandhill cranes migrate thru CO - people flock to see them in the San Luis valley. There's even a festival.

Curious George said...

Taste like chicken.

Anonymous said...

Quite a lot migrating through right now.

They're loud as hell in the marsh behind my house every morning, evening, and in the middle of the night when disturbed.

Lots of mate and territorial calling right now, it's a fun time to observe them.

Iman said...

Prehistoric birds...

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

So far north - are they lost? ;)

Dan said...

Ribeye of the sky.

glam1931 said...

We have a resident population here in Florida. One pair wanders our neighborhood regularly. They are a delight to see, very used to people, and almost tame. Our streets are posted with warning signs encourage drivers to watch for them, as they tend to cross the roads at a leisurely pace. Their babies are hilariously cute, and bright orange!

Anonymous said...

"So far north - are they lost? ;)"

The birds pictured are Greater Sandhills, which mostly just nest in WI and neighboring states. Most of the US only sees the Lesser Sandhills - which are much more numerous and a bit less impressive.

"Sound like loons."

Not anything like it.

JohnAnnArbor said...

Who's a pretty bird?

minnesota farm guy said...

sand Hill Cranes are slowly returning to their former range in MN. Their call is wonderful to hear. If you want to see Sand Hill cranes in numbers Kearney, Nebraska is the place to be about now. Incredible numbers flow through there. Link.

Achilles said...

This is a decent explanation of exponential growth with respect to contagious outbreaks.

By the way, growth numbers are already flattening out.

The sun is out.

Now about that public shaming that has been going on for the last couple weeks...

tim in vermont said...

"Their call is wonderful to hear.”

Once in a while. Try listening to their assembly call every morning.

tim in vermont said...

Actually, I don’t mind it. They are slow to move out of the way of a car though.

crescentcityconnection said...

The are beautiful birds and their calls can be heard from over 1 mile away. I often hear them this time of year at our home in Wisconsin but don't always see them as the flock can be quite a distance away and not within sight. They are very convincing evidence that birds descended from dinosaurs.

Automatic_Wing said...

Great picture!

Milwaukie guy said...

A couple or ten days ago I was posting late on a café about Bill Ayers because I couldn't get through to Powerline. Commenter Tina Trent got in touch with me and we've spoken a few times about Mr. Ayers. The conversation got around to the People's Cube and a poster design project I'm brainstorming to celebrate 90 years of Democrat Party rule in Chicago. She put me in touch with the genius behind People's Cube.

On what other blog does this stuff happen?

Thank you Ann Althouse and Meade for this lovely place. I hope you keep up on the sunrise pictures for an entire year.

JES said...

The crane migration at Kearney, Nebraska was one of the most impressive things I have ever seen. So worth the trip. Forty years ago we camped out by a river near us to be part of a weekend "crane count" but they were so rare then that we never saw any.

Stephen Taylor said...

They layover at the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge in the Texas Panhandle. The playas (shallow indentations where water sometimes accumulates) are covered with them. The sound they make is amazing. During migration they are seen all over the Panhandle, especially in fields that haven't yet been planted or have just been harvested. Beautiful creatures. I can hear their call even as I type this. I don't know which species they are; I only know they're beautiful and fun to watch.

The Panhandle has playas everywhere. They only intermittently have any water, as the Panhandle is very arid. But when they do, the birds flock to them. Playas were formed by retreating glaciers many thousands of years ago.

I think i remember Ms Althouse mentioning that she traveled through North Texas several years ago. The Panhandle, like so much of Texas, has a very subtle beauty, and sometimes you have to look for it. But when you find it the sandhill cranes on a playa.....