MIGRATIONS UNDERWAY

 

When I was out shooting the last of the fall color, I noticed another yearly phenomenon was underway.  Sandhill Cranes were migrating to their winter grounds.

 

 I first saw them in a field where there were corn stalk remains, one of their favorite foods.  As I pulled over, they scattered to the back of the field.  I didn’t have a long lens with me, so I let them be and moved on. 

 

I returned a few days later with my long lens and saw only four cranes at that location.  There were two parents and two juveniles, or colts, as they are also known.

 

 Even though I was quite a distance away, the crane family was not happy with my presence and they took to the air almost immediately.  It’s fun, but always a challenge to photograph birds in flight.

 

 I moved down the road a bit and saw a flock of geese, probably involved in a southern migration too.   I noticed a lone crane at the edge of the geese.

 

 A few more cranes floated in and joined the geese.  I didn’t know if the two groups would mix and share the hillside.  There didn’t seem to be an overt fight going on, but I didn’t know if there were some kind of territorial messaging going on between the two breeds.

 

 More cranes arrived but they stayed just at the edge of the geese.  They appeared agitated and were fluttering wings and tail feathers.  There was a lot of vocalizing too.

 

 Finally, as if by some communal inner command, the cranes turned en masse to the south and marched away from the geese.  I moved on for the time being to see what other migrating critters I might see.

 

 Right away, I was in luck.  I saw two Trumpeter Swans, which are the largest waterfowl species native to North America.  I didn’t know if they were migrating because they’re sometimes found in the Great Lakes region in the summer, but more commonly in winter.  A bigger puzzle was why they were in a corn field when they typically feed in aquatic environments, consuming up to 20 pounds of food per day.

 

 On my way back to the crane migration grounds, I saw a group of deer feeding in a shaded area where I’ve seen them in the past.  While one kept an eye on me, they mostly went on eating while I watched.  I noticed they already had their deep brown winter camouflage coats.

 

 It was nearing dusk and I wanted to check out the cranes one more time.  I could see large numbers had congregated on a hillside at the edge of a cornfield, south of where the geese were.

 

 The cranes were unsettled, however, with lots of vocalizing and jumping around.  I wasn’t sure why this was happening, but I continued to watch.

 

 More cranes were coming in, which was probably creating some of the commotion.  I nervously watched them dodge the electrical wires with expertise.

 

 As I continued to watch in the waning light, many more cranes were leaving than were flying in.  I didn’t know what was going on.  While it’s not typical, I wondered if they were going to fly at night.  Did their interior barometers know snow was predicted for the next day?

 

 I watched them as long as I could in the sunset-streaked sky.  They were elegant with their legs outstretched behind them.

 

 The light was fading and I took one last picture of the beautiful scene.  I’d snapped nearly 400 pictures that afternoon, which will be a lot to go through for the 15-20 I choose for the blog.  It was worth it, though, to take a break from the Covid worries and election angst that have pervaded our lives lately.