Bird Watching

[dturm]

We live one county west of a major Sandhill Crane flyway stop - it's in Jasper/Pulaski county wildlife area. We went last weekend and saw an estimated 5000 Sandhill cranes landing and resting near sunset.





I just got in from walking the dogs and we had a flight go overhead aimed straight for the overnight stop. They have a very distinctive call when in flight and on the ground.

They overwinter in Florida (and elsewhere). Tonight's low is supposed to be about 19 with wind making for a chilly night. I wish we were heading that way too.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

That's a LOT of cranes!! Very cool - a small community in SW Michigan (Fennville) always has a "Crane Fest" each fall. And since they are already in FL by the time we arrive, we refer to our trip down as "chasing cranes".

[eubank]

Lots of them head down here to the Rio Grande bosque. Many activities down at Bosque del Apache near Socorro; the yearly event, coming up soon, is called Festival of the Cranes.
🙂
Lynn

[Little_Kopit]

I watch birds world wide. Here at home I find them by walking or driving, but not in groups with binoculars.

The Internet has given us so much on birds. I catch sites in middle Europe and the UK, Of course in all of N. Am. & Hawaii, but somehow not S. Am. There certainly are great sites in the line of Mississippi Flyway or Loon nesting.....

I catch them in AU and NZ, but some how not the rest of Asia or currently in Africa.

There is a little peregrine in Melbourne, http://www.367collinsfalcons.com.au/, who is one of 3 hatchlings and the last almost ready to fledge.

Florida and Gerogia look like they are working from nestorations to egg laying.

If folks have sites to fill in more of the world, I would welcome them. We learn so much via these days.

:B

[Scottiemom]

We ran across the Jasper/Pulaski wildlife area years ago as we were headed south for the winter from northern Indiana. What a site! We didn't know what they were back then. We just knew they were BIG birds. I think the sign was up alerting us to the identify of the birds. But we had never seen them before. We pulled the motorhome off to the side of the road to look and take pictures. LOL

Dale

[Big_Katuna]

They are common in our neck of the woods where we live in FL. We lived on acreage surrounded by acreage and there were breeding grounds nearby.
VERY NOISEY! Holy cow, they would wake the dead. Beautiful fliers.

Their mating dance is very entertaining.

They are protected in Florida.
Few know they are hunted in Texas.

[Lwiddis]

Wonderful experience. We’ve seen thousands of pelicans on the California Central Coast over a 48 hour period...but just once.

[LadyRVer]

They are beautiful birds. Have them here in the park. Come on down, in the 80's
today.