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Today we drove to Bellevue, MI to witness the annual fall migration of thousands of Sandhill Cranes. Turn on your sound to listen to their calls, which can be heard up to 2.5 miles away.

These magnificent #birds nearly disappeared a century ago due to overhunting, but populations rebounded & are now stable in MI.

Sandhill Cranes are among the oldest living birds on Earth with a wingspan of up to 6 ft. Aldo Leopold described them as "nobility, won in the march of eons."

in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

For a closer look at these incredible #birds, I took this photo of a Sandhill Crane in 2019. /2
#nature #photography
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

Beautiful bird. The ones by you are a different color, ours here in central Florida are gray. Here is a gray adult and tan baby going through my yard back in April 2018. I am fortunate to have them as regular visitors most all year.
#nature #photography #birds
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

I've seen the cranes at the Jasper-Pulaski Wildlife Refuge in Indiana. Absolutely incredible sight.
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

we are right in one of the migration routes. This time of year we hear a flock passing over multiple times per day. Sometimes so high you can barely see them.
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

When I lived in north central Florida in the 1970s we had Sandhill cranes overwinter near our rural property. We could hear their calls. This brings back happy memories.
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

Thank you, I've been wondering since moving to MI what bird made these calls. How magnificent.
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

As a kid I read a book titled "In Search of a Sandhill Crane" and have wanted to see them ever since. I need to make it a priority to go see them.
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

Here’s a photo from late summer 2021 showing just how large these birds are...
This entry was edited (1 year ago)
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

We get Sandhill Cranes all around where I live in Central Florida. They have no fear (as befitting a 4' tall pseudo-dinosaur) and their mating dances are absolutely wonderful to watch and hear. I believe they mate for life, and the usually-single child spends the first year with its parents. Seeing a triplet of Sandhill Cranes meandering down the middle of the road without a care in the world is a fantastic sight. I love these guys.

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