Thursday, December 12, 2019

Common for Some to See

Sandhill Cranes are not uncommon if you live in Florida. They are not very wary and that is why it is illegal to feed them...even with birdseed. They are big and can be dangerous if they become too friendly with humans.  That long bill is an intimidating weapon.  The oldest documented bird lived for 36 years and they are considered the oldest living bird species on the planet!  They do look prehistoric and  elegant at  the same  time!  I have heard their call, but only as they were flying overhead.  You can  click on the link and hear that it is not very melodius.

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.

12 comments:

  1. I don’t believe I have ever seen or heard them. Thank you for sharing.

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  2. Interesting bird. I've yet to see one as well.

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  3. a 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.

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  4. I would be very excited to see or even hear them flying over.

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  5. I googled to see a pic of them in flight. Impressive! Nice that you had the opportunity to get these shots.

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  6. I have only seen them in zoos. Flying at 28,000 feet is impressive, and without oxygen tanks!

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    1. nlike some of my fellow travelers who needed tanks at 12,000 feet in Lhasa.

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  7. Amazing 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.

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  8. They'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).

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  9. I have seen them dancing. Don't miss it. saw a field of about 1000 birds.

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  10. We 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.

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  11. It is Demoiselle Cranes that fly over the Himalayas, not Sandhill Cranes, who would be a long, long way from home over there!

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