A morning spent in the presence of sandhill cranes is a morning well-lived. A morning spent in the presence of a sandhill crane chick is a morning lived in happiness.
What a gift indeed! My daughter and I went to the Sandhill Crane Fest in Monte Vista, Colorado last March. What a wild couple of days, so. many. cranes.
We have a lot of cranes around here in Michigan. A couple of places where I go walking, they just sort of hang around, and if you don’t charge at them, you can get very close. They like birdseed, which seems to be a major attraction!
How absolutely adorable and amazing! The writing alone would have conveyed the scene but thank goodness you had your camera to take such stunning photos! So incredible. What lovely creatures they look.
I always find when you've had such an experience as that and then you carry on your day and people are rushing around in their own worlds with no idea of what you've just experienced. It's such a contrast and weird feeling!
Thank you, Hayley! Such kind words. You’re right, it is such an interesting contrast and I’m glad I can share this with other people through my words and pictures. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Love these birds, your images show them so well, and your essay ties the observations together into an overall sensory & emotional experience. Here in Michigan it seems like they used to be less common over the wintertime, but saw some recently and heard their prehistoric calls aloft nearby just yesterday.
There aren’t many of them left sadly. I think most of them are concentrated in Wisconsin, Louisiana, and Texas. We have one in Florida from a failed reintroduction
Beautifully written. What a special encounter! When we lived in Michigan, our neighbor would throw all sorts of feed on the ground for birds. That attracted a Sandhill Crane family every summer. They would stop by to eat and then take a stroll around the neighborhood
I would love to have a family of cranes visit the yard. What a wonderful experience to see them every summer. I assume it was the same family that kept coming back? It must have been amazing to see the chicks grow up.
I assumed it was the same family, and it really was amazing, though they would have to cross a busy street to get to the neighborhood, which was a little unnerving, especially when the chicks were crossing
I know what you mean. We have two families of cranes near the Publix here and they have to cross the one and only road in and out of this neighborhood. It’s a very busy road with people driving over 60mph. They eat on the median a lot and I’m always worried for them. It’s not unusual to see one with a broken leg but it’s surprising how fast they bounce back.
Thank you for this. I could feel the joy and awe in your words and photos. ✨✨
Thank you for your kind words!
I call this a treasure. Everyday when I go walking I look out for a treasure. I think with this experience you stumbled a treasure chest!!
It is definitely an encounter that left me feeling very rich. Thank you!
What a gift indeed! My daughter and I went to the Sandhill Crane Fest in Monte Vista, Colorado last March. What a wild couple of days, so. many. cranes.
Oh that sounds like a dream! Is that an annual thing?
We have a lot of cranes around here in Michigan. A couple of places where I go walking, they just sort of hang around, and if you don’t charge at them, you can get very close. They like birdseed, which seems to be a major attraction!
They are such majestic birds!
Beautiful moment, thank you for sharing.
How absolutely adorable and amazing! The writing alone would have conveyed the scene but thank goodness you had your camera to take such stunning photos! So incredible. What lovely creatures they look.
I always find when you've had such an experience as that and then you carry on your day and people are rushing around in their own worlds with no idea of what you've just experienced. It's such a contrast and weird feeling!
Thank you, Hayley! Such kind words. You’re right, it is such an interesting contrast and I’m glad I can share this with other people through my words and pictures. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Love these birds, your images show them so well, and your essay ties the observations together into an overall sensory & emotional experience. Here in Michigan it seems like they used to be less common over the wintertime, but saw some recently and heard their prehistoric calls aloft nearby just yesterday.
Do they have sandhill cranes there or also the whooping crane?
Plenty of sandhill cranes, though I don't recall the last time I saw a whooping crane, I don't think they are common in Michigan.
There aren’t many of them left sadly. I think most of them are concentrated in Wisconsin, Louisiana, and Texas. We have one in Florida from a failed reintroduction
Cranes are such majestic and charismatic creatures!
Beautifully written. What a special encounter! When we lived in Michigan, our neighbor would throw all sorts of feed on the ground for birds. That attracted a Sandhill Crane family every summer. They would stop by to eat and then take a stroll around the neighborhood
I would love to have a family of cranes visit the yard. What a wonderful experience to see them every summer. I assume it was the same family that kept coming back? It must have been amazing to see the chicks grow up.
I assumed it was the same family, and it really was amazing, though they would have to cross a busy street to get to the neighborhood, which was a little unnerving, especially when the chicks were crossing
I know what you mean. We have two families of cranes near the Publix here and they have to cross the one and only road in and out of this neighborhood. It’s a very busy road with people driving over 60mph. They eat on the median a lot and I’m always worried for them. It’s not unusual to see one with a broken leg but it’s surprising how fast they bounce back.
Tough dinos!
Beautiful images of Sandhill Cranes. I have only seen them in flight. I still remember the first time seeing one. Thanks for sharing.
It is not something easily forgotten. Hopefully you’ll get to see them up close on the ground one day, too.