I was driving with my wife along a back road, when we spotted a different bird. Large, appearing as many of the water birds found locally, and behaving much like geese.
I've been told these birds appear, but never have I've seen one. I told my wife what I surmised the birds to be: Sandhill Cranes. She found them on her phone, and it revealed I was right.
They're amazing. Standing around 5 feet high, they flock like geese; constantly moving away from automobiles too close to where they're feeding. What they were feeding on is beyond me, but they were in a rice field harvested last season. I assume it was either new shoots growing in the wet field, or crayfish that start leaving their winter burro.
We watched for a few seconds, and then moved on. The birds stayed far away, and dawdling only made them mover further.
There's a hunting season on the bird. Considering their size, only one will feed a family. Me? I don't think so. They're too magnificent to watch, and it would take drastic circumstances to shoot one for food.
I was at a picnic with friends last year and there were maybe ten flocking around our table!
ReplyDeleteI have video.
People were walking over to take pictures.
The flock I saw was well over fifty birds. Considering how they flew further into adjacent fields when disturbed, I wouldn't be surprised if the other fields held hundreds I couldn't see.
DeleteMy dog loves to hear them. She doesn't chase them, but she'll walk up towards them and whine at them while they stand around and call each other.
ReplyDeleteI imagine an angry crane can be a formidable adversary, if a dog was inclined to attack. That might be why she whines. Her first unseen encounter might have been with an angry bird.
DeleteShe just likes talking to the birds. Really. She is a really smart dog. She'll stop whining at the birds if they don't make their noise.
DeleteSome dogs just like other animals, and they enjoy to be around them.
DeleteIf I googled the right birds, they have a really cool red mask? Yah, I'd rather take a pic than a shot at them.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the habitat maps, I live right outside the edge of one of their wintering areas. This flock might have lost their way, or the number of birds is too great to feed all in the normal wintering areas.
DeleteYou sure about the hunting season? Here, they area protected bird. (NW Indiana) I think also that hey are federally protected (or were).
ReplyDeleteI looked it up. My area is closed to hunting, and those that are require a special permit.
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