At this time of year the Sand-hill Cranes are about ready to leave our area and go somewhere warmer.

If you are not familiar with this awesome bird, there is a close-up of one on the top of our site in the header. It is the bird with the red on it’s head. They are very large birds. Usually around 34-48 inches tall. They are mostly gray except for the head region which is red and white. The red area on the head is also featherless.

At certain times of the year they have brownish coloring on their wings. This is caused by iron deposits picked up while foraging for food. They will stick their long beaks into the soil over and over looking for food. They love to rob bird feeders of almost all of their contents. Sand-hill Cranes are monogamous. They are currently Endangered.

They have been here all summer and have been breeding. We have seen several pairs alone as well as several pairs with young ones.

When it is almost dark they gather at a local lake by the dozens. Here is a nice panoramic of them at the lake.

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