Sandhill Cranes leaving Kentucky
 

Hundreds and hundreds of them were flying north yesterday afternoon and evening. So many V's we couldn't even count them! And they go right over my farm. We've only seen the cranes for the last 2 or 3 years, usually it's just the geese by the thousands. Now it's mostly cranes that use this flyway. They should be up in Indiana this morning. (west of Louisville) Cool, cool, cool.

Didn't see any earmuffs on the cranes this year either. Went back thru some older threads, and it's about the right time. One year was middle of Jan for the geese. The starlings are here too just this week.

Funny, we've had a bad cold spell (for Kentucky) breaking ice, temps in the 10's & 20's for all of Feb. But, was 40 yesterday, and going to be 40 today.

That means the Platte River in Nebraska should be having the sandhill crane visitors now...millions will be here in Feb and March. It is a wonderful site - along with all the geese.

There is a government preserve in northern Indiana where thousands of sandhill cranes lay over for a few weeks every spring and fall. I believe they estimated 22,000 were there at their peak time. They leave strips of standing unpicked corn for them to eat. They also have an 80 acre pasture field where they loaf when they get their bellies full. There is a viewing stand at the edge of the pasture for people to see them. Everything has a 6 inch layer of snow on it up here. The temp has been below zero for several nights. The only open water is in some fast moving streams. Canadian geese stay here year around in recent years. When the lakes and ponds freeze over, they go to the rivers that have open places. The first warm day, they are back on the ponds waiting for the ice to thaw.
Looks like those cranes would be better off if the hung out near the Ohio River.

There's a pair of sandhills that nest about 1/4 mile from my fish farm. Last year they had 4 young ones flying around with them. It's strange but I've never seen them or their tracks in my ponds.

It was 2005 the Cranes first came over the farm. I thought they were Herons till someone told me about the Sandhills. Don't hear any today. 2005 it was Feb 14th. Funny.

I hope the snow melts for them Uncle Will. Maybe they saw it from a distance and landed. Our pastures are brown, no snow, but still hard as a rock. Water is melting today. We really don't get cold enough for big ponds to freeze over here.

We have a smaller group of Geese that overwintered nearby. They fly up and down the road-right over the road-east to west and then back, to exercise most evenings. Funny to hear and see them in the winter like that. Funny, lost group of geese. They musta been snoozin when the rest went south.

Uncle will, the place you are thinking of is Jasper Pulaski state fish and wildlife area, over by medaryville. It has a nice bird observatory, where you can go up and watch all the sandhill cranes from there. I pass by it ever time I go to the shooting range there. It is really nice.

edited to add: Jasper Pulaski is my favorite place for public land in Indiana. great hunting, good fishing, and their shooting and archery ranges are really good too.

Central Indiana is getting a blizzard today (Tuesday) Up to a foot of snow, with up to 35 mph winds. That will make drifts taller than a slam dunkin school boy.
I guess the cranes can snuggle up to a snow drift and stick their heads under their wings while having visions of springtime in the great white north?? I wonder if they get to vote on flying into a snow storm??

Medaryville...don't blink or you will miss the town...LOL... Just kidding, my husband has family there and it is nice farm country.

The first time I saw a sandhill crane was north of Green Bay. I considered it such an oppertunity then and would love to see some more agian.

We have plenty of them by us and they seem right at home in Lake Redstone. My neighbor was planting corn last spring and one was following his tractor and picking out seed as fast as he could plant them. I like them but some of my neighbors consider them pests and would like to see a season on them. My neighbors also observed a couple of sandhills flapping wings and agressively chasing off a couple of deer. They said they would not have believed it if they did not see it. They are large and apparently quite territorial.

We're in North Central Wisconsin, about 40 miles west of Appleton. We usually start hearing the Sand Hill Cranes around March 10th.

I love the sound of their call echoing across the hills!

It's pouring rain here today, just pouring.... and I still have ice chuncks all over out in the yards. Supposed to be in the 20's tomorrow, so will mean freeze.

I wish someone was north and a wee bit west of me who knows where they went..... I looked on the map and NW in the direction they are flying, there is a big big lake just SW of Paoli, Indiana. Patoka Lake. Wonder if they went there. That would not be too far of a fly from here, 60 miles as the crow flies (or in this case Crane) And it was late in the afternoon. That is the exact direction they go every year, not straight north at all.

I am so glad to know that there are some preserves between Cindy and Michigan because we usually have hundreds and hundreds here, but it is way too soon for them to be here. We are having a blizzard!!

There is the Crane Naval Depot in southern Indiana, but I didn't know it was named after sandhill cranes??? LOL

I have pics of several sandys walking in my backyard. I get the buggers fling in all summer back & forth from my neighbors hay field. I have 25,000 acres of state land to the north of me that they seem to like. loads of masrh & grassy swamps.

Hi Diane. We are in the 20's and light blowing snow. We really got soaked yesterday, it poured all day. All that ice and snow stayed north of the river, thank goodness.

I have never seen a Crane walking, or on the ground close up, only flying overhead. I wish they would land for just a little bit anyway so I could see them.

They're really ugly creatures.

What a nice thing to do!
 

Thank you so much CindyinKY!

Talk about a breath of spring- knowing that the migrating birds have started their trek back North! I just shovelled our 200 ft driveway and this made my day sooooo much happier! We aren't in the Sandhill crane flightpath, but I will start watching for the glorious trumpeter swans that pass over us here.

This is such a nice thread! thanks!

Hi Cindy.......nice to "see" you. I love to watch them walk about. I don't think they are ugly at all. I love to hear them call. One thing you definately DON'T want to do, and that is get anywhere near their nest of their newly hatched young!! Then they do get "ugly"!!!

Yes, this makes me have hope for spring just talking about it. :) That said, we got 11" of snow from this storm, but now we have gorgeous sunshine and blue sky, although it is 15 degrees with windchills below zero. When I was out shoveling, that sun had some real warmth to it!!

http://www.photodump.com/direct/Yett...ill-cranes.jpg

heres a pic from two years ago. the most I've had at once is 8 that I saw all together.

Thanks for the pic, Yeti. They do look pretty tall!

Sorry you got so much snow up there Diane and gryndlgoat, we didn't get any. Looks like Monday will be starting in the 50's for us! yipeeeeee.

Saw Mourning Dove yesterday evening, Cardinal, Robins, Titmouses, a woodpecker and my Mockingbird is here. Still seems kinda early to me, but I'll welcome it for sure. I feed them lots of bread, grain and water here. When my Meadowlark comes, it's usually warm enough for me to begin digging in the dirt. Haven't seen him yet. Stupid Starlings are here going to tear up my house yet one more year (4 pairs of them every year ripping up my soffets) My daffodils were up about 8 inches and I covered them up a couple weeks ago. Still cold today but sunny here too. Dirt is melting a little.

Another big rush of Cranes went over yesterday evening. 15-20 very large V's of them going north. They sure are loud! I watched really careful to see if any of the V's were geese, but all were cranes. Have not seen any geese yet. Was warmer yesterday, but with a continuous whipping wind. All the frozen ground turned to sticky mud.

You don't see them in ponds because they aren't fisheaters. they graze pastureland. Neat to see a flock taking shape in heavy mist, stalking thru the savanah- almost like seeing dinosaurs.