Sand Hill Cranes

Can you believe it? I travel down state Michigan thinking I'm in a more urban area only to find, across the road from my sister's house, a flock of Sand Hill Cranes! At least 20 or so----I lost count. 

These wading birds are in the same taxonomic Order as Herons called "Gruiformes." I'm sure this descriptive grouping is more of a compliment than an insult (as in, "Did ya hear 'bout poor Fred? He came down with Gruiformes!"). Males are larger than the females (vice versa in the Raptor world) and they can be up to 5 feet in height with a wingspan up to 7 feet. "Big Birds" . . . even for . . . "Sesame Street."  ;->

Hearing their sound is a real treat. You feel like you are living in some prehistoric era surrounded by exotic animals---very eerie and out of place by today's fauna noise. They have one of the oldest fossil records to date.

Guess how many typically reside in Michigan? Last year's count was over 9,000. Best viewing time is the fall, late October. One last trivia question: what do you call a baby Sand Hill Crane? Give up? Yeah, me too . . . a "colt."
Andy