That was too cool. They are such magnificent birds and so easy to interact with. It looked to me like the female had a yellowish cast to her "chin," I am going to watch for that the next time I see a flock.
Minds are like parachutes; they work better when they are open.
There are quite a few around here, haven't seen them with babies yet. We have a pair that keep coming on our cul-del-sac each day and eating something in the lawns.
I have not seen any around here but they are plentiful about 5 miles southeast of us and in Nocatee which is a bit northeast of us. I suspect they are moving northward as the climate changes.
Minds are like parachutes; they work better when they are open.
I love seeing the migratory sand cranes flying north in big flocks, they are so noisy you can here them coming and going, I haven't seen any yet, but you're right it should be soon. We have lots of non-migratory year round sand cranes in our area, they're the ones I see with the babies. I get so nervous when they're crossing roads, sometimes one is seen that didn't make it across.
These are some pictures I took at the Orlando Wetlands park close to us in Jan. 2021, they were doing some mating dancing, I was resting on a bench and got some great shots.
Shari, those are amazing shots of the Sandhill Cranes! ❤️ They stroll through our neighborhood on occasion and it's always great to see them around! For three years in a row, there was a pair (one was banded, the other not) that visited on a daily basis and I sent a report with photos to the FWC who keeps track of the banded birds. They replied to my email with information on when and where the bird was originally banded. A couple of weeks ago and again yesterday, the banded bird was walking around alone, so I assume that it's mate may have been hit by a car. I sent a photo and a report to the FWC last week but haven't had a reply yet. I love when I spot them walking through my front yard! These photos are from last year.
Thanks for sharing that great video too, I've posted it to my FB page.
~ I'm an old gal who still loves playing in the dirt!
~ Playing in the dirt is my therapy ... and I'm in therapy a lot!
Lin, that is nice of FWC to send you that information.
Hopefully the mate was off in another area, sad so many get hit by cars, but then they pick some pretty busy roadways to hang out around.
We see them walking along the roadways here quite often but luckily most residents stop for the cranes and gopher tortoises and allow them to cross the road. Not so much on some of the major roadways though. Neighbors have seen the single crane lately but still no mate with it which makes me think it was either hit by a car or a Coyote or Bobcat got it. We have lots of those critters around here too.
~ I'm an old gal who still loves playing in the dirt!
~ Playing in the dirt is my therapy ... and I'm in therapy a lot!
There was a woman hit and killed trying to save a tortoise in the road recently here, wasn't even a major road, she was always saving critters according to her husband, so sad.
