Spotting a flight of Sandhill cranes was quite thrilling!
I did hear them coming, and the last shot shows how low they were flying.
Sandhill cranes
More favorite bird photos
Baltimore Oriole with Sparrow in the back
On the nectar feeder
Back and tail plumage
Sandhill Crane
Baby Sparrow(?) after rain storm
Evil eye Grackle
Turkey Vulture warming its wings
Pileated Woodpecker taking off
Our nation’s symbol: Bald Eagle
A family outing
Here are a few more of our favorite bird images. The Turkey Vulture and Pileated Woodpecker are on the top of the same utility pole. The waterlogged little fledgling was blown out of the nest during a storm. Parents did tend to it, don’t know the outcome. We caught the eagle on a whale watching cruise around the San Juan Islands in Washington State. And the family of ducks was enjoying a walk in the town of Chincoteague on the island of the same name, on Virginia’s Eastern Shore.
Sandhill cranes on the move
First you hear them…
Then after you peer up into the sky hopefully you’ll be able to spot them, usually way up there, almost out of sight. This large “V” formation did not take long to spot. During migration Sandhill cranes usually fly around 5000 feet. They have been known to reach 13,000 feet when migrating over mountains.
High flying and loud
This is the time of year when the Sandhill Cranes head back north. Usually you hear them first, then have to search the skies for the typical “V” shaped formations. While the normal flying altitude is around 5,000 feet, they have been known to fly as high as 12,000 feet.
Took this picture this afternoon in our backyard. You have to look closely!
Click below for the sounds of one Sandhill Crane. Imagine how loud it is with all of the cranes squawking as they fly.
An up close and personal meeting
At an RV Park in central Florida we met the local resident Sandhill crane.
This crane obviously owned the park, as we saw him walking down the center of roads and blatantly ignoring the accepted RV park protocol of not walking through another camper’s site. I was only about 3 feet from him for the close up head shot.
Roadtirement 