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There’s a mating pair of sandhill cranes that will raise chicks in my parents backyard every couple years. They’re surprisingly big birds and are really nice to

There’s a mating pair of sandhill cranes that will raise chicks in my parents backyard every couple years. They’re surprisingly big birds and are really nice to see each year

cbdevidal 1y ago
I have lived in northeast Florida all my life and never saw these until we moved 60 miles to the southeast. Just that little bit of distance and they’re everywhere. Really enjoy watching and hearing them.
- macintux 1y ago
  I rarely see them in Indiana, but hearing them fly overhead while migrating is a joy. Such a distinctive call. I just discovered there's a map of places to find them: https://sandhillfinder.savingcranes.org/near https://sandhillfinder.savingcranes.org/near
  - stockresearcher 1y ago
    In the NW, from the lake down to the Kankakee River, there are a number of state park, national park, and private nature reserve properties that host huge numbers of them. Essentially, what you need is preserved wetlands and they will land. But yeah, that is not the kind of land farmers want to keep around.
    - macintux 1y ago
      I almost mentioned the Jasper-Pulaski FWA. I've visited once or twice during migration season, very impressive. Depressing, however, just how much smaller the wetlands are now thanks to settlement. Up to 1 million acres lost.
codingdave 1y ago
We have a couple in our yard every year, too. They know us at this point and while they aren't exactly friendly, they don't run away when we are near or drive by, either. We also have another pair in our wetlands who are definitely unfriendly. Just step foot within their sight and they yell at you until you leave. We get a ton of them around us every year... we live in one of the areas where they gather before they migrate, so each spring and fall, they will all converge together for a day or two before taking off, and we'll see anywhere from a few dozen to a couple hundred together in a field. If anyone is curious, this map shows where they are at different times of year: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sandhill_Crane/maps-range https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sandhill_Crane/maps-rang...
- 1234letshaveatw 1y ago
  There is a trail where people feed songbirds in Michigan. They have signs up that explicitly warn visitors not to feed the sandhill cranes, but people do it anyways. I don’t want to be anywhere near those beaks but rule breakers let them peck seed out of their hands
HeyLaughingBoy 1y ago
They are massive. I'd heard them forever but never actually seen one up close until early one morning this summer I saw two of them walking down the street like they owned the place. No idea what they were, but googling a description told me pretty quick.

There’s a mating pair of sandhill cranes that will raise chicks in my parents backyard every couple years. They’re surprisingly big birds and are really nice to see each year

cbdevidal 1y ago

I have lived in northeast Florida all my life and never saw these until we moved 60 miles to the southeast. Just that little bit of distance and they’re everywhere. Really enjoy watching and hearing them.

macintux 1y ago
I rarely see them in Indiana, but hearing them fly overhead while migrating is a joy. Such a distinctive call. I just discovered there's a map of places to find them: https://sandhillfinder.savingcranes.org/near https://sandhillfinder.savingcranes.org/near
- stockresearcher 1y ago
  In the NW, from the lake down to the Kankakee River, there are a number of state park, national park, and private nature reserve properties that host huge numbers of them. Essentially, what you need is preserved wetlands and they will land. But yeah, that is not the kind of land farmers want to keep around.
  - macintux 1y ago
    I almost mentioned the Jasper-Pulaski FWA. I've visited once or twice during migration season, very impressive. Depressing, however, just how much smaller the wetlands are now thanks to settlement. Up to 1 million acres lost.

codingdave 1y ago

We have a couple in our yard every year, too. They know us at this point and while they aren't exactly friendly, they don't run away when we are near or drive by, either. We also have another pair in our wetlands who are definitely unfriendly. Just step foot within their sight and they yell at you until you leave. We get a ton of them around us every year... we live in one of the areas where they gather before they migrate, so each spring and fall, they will all converge together for a day or two before taking off, and we'll see anywhere from a few dozen to a couple hundred together in a field. If anyone is curious, this map shows where they are at different times of year: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sandhill_Crane/maps-range https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sandhill_Crane/maps-rang...

1234letshaveatw 1y ago
There is a trail where people feed songbirds in Michigan. They have signs up that explicitly warn visitors not to feed the sandhill cranes, but people do it anyways. I don’t want to be anywhere near those beaks but rule breakers let them peck seed out of their hands

HeyLaughingBoy 1y ago

They are massive. I'd heard them forever but never actually seen one up close until early one morning this summer I saw two of them walking down the street like they owned the place. No idea what they were, but googling a description told me pretty quick.