I am wondering if that red bald patch, which is on both males and females, is used for attracting the opposite sex. (Apologies for the photo quality as this was a quick hop out of a car while with friends.)
They have been documented flying over Mt. Everest at 28,000 feet, so I tip my hat to their stamina and aviation skills! According to Florida DNR, there are about 5,000 of these that remain in the state year-round, but they can be found all over the United States as some are migratory and there are six subspecies. Maybe one of these days I will be there for their season of dancing.
On my bucket list is to see the mass gathering of them on the Platt River of Nebraska in the spring or to see them at the annual Sandhill Crane Festival in Albequerque in November.
I don’t believe I have ever seen or heard them. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteInteresting bird. I've yet to see one as well.
ReplyDeletea couple of weeks ago quite a few groups of them were flying overhead heading east northeast, to Florida would be my guess. it was their calling high above that attracted my attention to them.
ReplyDeleteI would be very excited to see or even hear them flying over.
ReplyDeleteI googled to see a pic of them in flight. Impressive! Nice that you had the opportunity to get these shots.
ReplyDeleteI have only seen them in zoos. Flying at 28,000 feet is impressive, and without oxygen tanks!
ReplyDeletenlike some of my fellow travelers who needed tanks at 12,000 feet in Lhasa.
DeleteAmazing birds. I think your photos are great. There's a Sandhill Crane festival in the Columbia National Refuge in March about 2 hours north of us near Othello, WA. I'm hoping to go this year with Grandkids in tow. Cranes and burrowing owls, plus amazing geology and desert out there, and there are workshops and classes in Othello High School. The bus tours fill up fast.
ReplyDeleteThey're certainly not common here. We think ourselves lucky to see one or two a year (apart from the 1000+ flock of migrating cranes we saw earlier this fall).
ReplyDeleteI have seen them dancing. Don't miss it. saw a field of about 1000 birds.
ReplyDeleteWe don't see many around here, but if you go to the coast, you may catch some. Lovely and wild, and yes, bigger than people think.
ReplyDeleteIt is Demoiselle Cranes that fly over the Himalayas, not Sandhill Cranes, who would be a long, long way from home over there!
ReplyDelete