Sandhill Cranes are a feature of the birds in Florida, although not common (wikipaedia says about there are 5000 Florida Sandhill Cranes) they are large (bigger than a swan) and do not appear afraid of humans, so they are quite easy to see. They are ‘famous’ for their migration habits. They are famous for gathering in huge numbers in Nebraska (?) where they make one of natures fascinating sights. My interest in them is that while at Connie and Jim’s last spring (Feb 4/5th) I had been enthralled (well almost) by seing that large numbers of Sandhill Cranes were gathering over Harpers Hideaway, circling to gain height then flying off, en masse, to the north, forming a characteristic V formation.
One photo I took enabled me to count more than 300 birds. Well surprise surprise. On Tuesday morning while working away I heard the disctinctive sound of a Sandhill Crane in Flight (the sort of noise a goose, or swan makes in flight, but different). I looked up and once again saw large numbers of cranes gathering, wheeling in the sky, finding updraughts, waiting for others to join them and then disappearing northwards. Of course I was amazed (as I have said before I am very easily pleased). Now either this is common, happening on a lot of days, in lots of different places, or else it is one of those amazing animal activities whereby Sandhill Cranes gather in the same places, at the same time each year, possibly the same Sandhill Cranes each year. I want to believe the latter of course. Either way it is an amazing sight, compounded by seeing it repeated exactly a year later, in the same place.
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