Tracking Sandhill Cranes

Every year as Fall and Winter approaches, I am reminded of one of my favorite bird species flying the friendly skies over the Midwest and South. As they fly over cities and towns and farmlands, you may not always see them at first, but you will definitely hear them coming as they sound off with their unique sqawk.

This first image I had never posted. As I prepared this post, I wanted to share an image I hadn't previously.

The Sandhill Cranes begin their journey farther north in Canada each Fall and slowly travel thousands of miles south along the eastern edges of the Mississippi Migratory Flyway. Many eventually end up in Hiawasee Wildlife Refuge in southeast Tennessee.

In this image, it was a sky blue day and late afternoon sun was highlighting the beautiful tips of the Sandhill's wings.

However, they stop multiple times along the way to rest and feed in plowed cornfields in the Midwest. The Sandhill Cranes are a beautiful majestic bird standing some 5' tall and spanning a width even longer.

Almost devoid of color, the late afternoon sky was pale white as the Sandhill Cranes flew over. Only the slightest hint of warm sun highlighted their wings.

One of the many resting places each year on their annual journey south, finds them in the thousands in Ewing Bottoms, just west of Seymour, Indiana. Here they rest, feed and continue their mating ritual dances in an effort to attain a forever life mate.

One of my favorite images of all the photographs I have captured of the Sandhill Cranes. I love the detail you can see in the feathers and the body of this majestic bird. Best of all when you capture an image and can see their beautiful red eyes clearly. That's the best.

They move around the cornfields in Ewing Bottoms and near the river bed foraging and flying in and out daily. They may rest here for several weeks, but they always move on flying further south to warmer climes. I captured these images and many more over a two year period honing my skills in phohtographing the Cranes in their natural habitat.

Their red foreheads, long, sleek legs, gray feathers, dotted with rusty spots, are all characteristic of their appearance. If you decide to track the Sandhill Crane, know these birds have rights too. I hope you will respect that as you attempt to photograph them. Always keep your distance. You will know if you are too close, as they will slowly walk away from you. Knowing this, you can get some wonderful photographs if you know when to snap.

From mating rituals to foraging to landing and liftoff. I hope you enjoyed this look back. I hope to be able to visit Hiawasee in southeast Tennessee this January before the Sandhill Cranes move back north. We shall see. I'll be back soon.

Photographer's Note: I met with a Wildlife Resources Officer for Tennessee today at Old Hickory Lake. He confirms the Sandhill Cranes are now moving north back to their breeding grounds. A tad early albeit, but case in fact.ENJOY!

Miscellaneous Monday

There is nothing more beautiful and graceful than watching a group of Sandhill Cranes fly across the sky in the late day sun. I captured this image in Ewing Bottoms in south central Indiana several years ago in the Fall when the Cranes were resting there in abundance. I love the honking sound of the Sandhill Cranes as they fly over and land in fields to rest and feed. Perhaps this Fall or Winter I shall get a chance to see a flock here in Tennessee at Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge. Have a wonderful week. I'll be back soon. ENJOY!

Sandhill Crane Watch

It has been several years since I have been able to photograph the beautiful Sandhill Cranes that use Kentucky as a flyway on their way South to Hiawassee National Wildlife Refuge, in southeast Tennessee, and points further South. Today was one of those days. I was on my way home after a brief visit to Louisville to take care of some business with my condo there. Earlier in the week I had read on the aba.bird.org website that over ten thousand Cranes had stopped over south of Elizabethtown in Cecilia for a rest.

I have photographed the Cranes in Cecilia several years ago. It's not easy getting decent images as the Cranes are normally far off in plowed corn fields feeding. But just as I was leaving, I noticed a group of Cranes near a pond in a yard off the highway. I managed to capture these images getting as close as I could without disturbing the Cranes.

I can't help it, Sandhill Cranes, to me, are so beautiful. Hiawassee National Wildlife Refuge is almost two hours from my home in northeast Nashville. Some day I shall pay a visit. I also read on the same website this week that there are thousands and thousands of Cranes overwintering at the refuge. It won't be long before they will fly north to their nesting grounds in Canada. I would love to see a nest one day and the smaller chicks. What fun that would be. I trust you are having a wonderful weekend. It's been very cold here, but there's a warm up on the way this week. ENJOY!

A Sandhill Crane Story

Come with me as I take you back to Winter 2013. After a short drive, I pull into the small town of Ewing Bottoms, west of Mustatatuck National Wildlife Refuge, in south central Indiana. Thousands of Sandhill Cranes are spread across the vast farm fields. Moving from field to field, the Cranes lift off, fly a short distance and land to forage for food. The bottom land is the perfect platform for viewing the Sandhill Cranes with its flat expanse covering multiple farm fields and a two lane road that cuts right through the middle of the area enabling you to view the Cranes in closer proximity. Flat and wide, one can view the Cranes for miles and miles while listening to their distinct calls as it penetrates an otherwise quiet Winter's day.

Fast forward to present day in middle Tennessee. Now, as I did in southern Indiana, I will travel to view the Sandhill Cranes yet again. Only this Winter I will travel to Hiwassee National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Tennessee, where thousands and thousands and thousands of Cranes will spend the winter months before migrating back north to build their nests and add to the Crane population. Each January the refuge holds a Sandhill Crane Festival with upwards of 2,500 visitors who travel to the refuge from all over the United States to view the Cranes. One might have thought my relationship with these magnificent creatures ended when I moved south to Tennessee, that could not be farther from the truth. Now I am closer to their Winter home and hopefully, in early January I will have new images of the Cranes to share as I travel to Hiwassee to view the Cranes yet again. Until then I wanted to share with you this image I captured of the Cranes as they flew from field to field in Ewing Bottoms in Southern Indiana several years ago. They are so beautiful. Don't you agree. ENJOY!

February Is A Wrap

February brought us . . .

. . . below zero temperatures, ice laden branches, snow covered fields, slushy driving lanes, snowflakes flying, winds blustering and most of all winter's fury. I wish for Spring to come forth and bless us . . . with bright sunny days, beautiful blue skies, warmer Spring breezes, pink and yellow flowers blooming, grasses greening, leaves sprouting, bushes growing and all that comes with this gentler season. ENJOY!

Beautiful Sandhill Crane

Such a beautiful shot of this Sandhill Crane as the sun is beginning to hang low in the sky as is reflected on his wings. ENJOY!

January Is a Wrap

January was very frigid cold with the polar vortex keeping us hopping every other week repeatedly dropping the temps to below zero and the wind chill even lower. Before I even realized it January was wrapping up and February was upon us. I thought I'd take a look back and share a few more images captured in January.

Earlier this week I drove south of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, to see if I could catch a few thousand Cranes roosting there only to find only three Cranes remaining. The rest of the Cranes had flown in late Saturday, and because of another frigid air mass coming up that day, had flown back out early that morning and were gone. I captured just a few images of the three Cranes I did find and then headed back home.

This year on my annual trek to the Bluegrass area of Kentucky to visit the horse farms in Winter, I stopped to check out my secret stash of White Tailed Deer. Knowing exactly where they hang out and call home, I grabbed a few images of them before heading deeper into the horse farm area.

In the middle of January I traveled to Mustatatuck one Sunday to check out the wildlife at the refuge. Virtually no waterfowl was visible that day, but I did catch a glimpse of an Otter slipping back under the ice on Persimmon Pond in the back of the refuge. Jumping out of my car I climbed a hill and walked over to the bank of the pond to take photos. The Otters tolerated my presence for quite some time. The Otters can be difficult to spot at the refuge because there are many bodies of water. There's two huge lakes in the refuge and another smaller one as well. There are five major swamps, not to mention countless ponds. I consider myself lucky to have caught sight of the Otters as it could years before I see them again.

And finally, way back on New Year's Day, I captured this last image of the Sandhill Cranes in Ewing Bottoms, west of Seymour, Indiana. There were thousands of Cranes busily foraging for food and performing their mating dances in the bottoms near Brownstown. Luckily, I got to the bottoms in time to capture some images of the Cranes before it began to cloud up. It was a great month for wildlife viewing albeit rather cold and downright freezing at times, but I persevered. I wonder, where did January take you this year? ENJOY!

The Cranes, Up and Down

Up, up and away the Sandhill Cranes lift off traveling to an adjacent field to graze. And then as surely as they fly away . . . more come in for a landing having foraged nearby. Cranes are creatures of habit repeating flight paths, repeating overwintering roosts, and so forth. As my third year of photographing the Sandhill Cranes comes to a close soon, I know I will miss them.

Afer the Polar Vortex moved decidedly into the deep South of the United States last week, I drove last weekend to the Bottoms to see if the Cranes had made it through the cold, blustery days and nights. They chose to move on either closer in to the wildlife refuge or points farther south. Having heard some chatter about Crane sightings in various nearby Kentucky lakes and farm fields, my guess is some headed farther South.

Before the overwintering season wraps up, I wanted to share a few more images specifically of the Cranes lifting off and landing. The most interesting is the landing. They point their long beaks downward toward the ground and allow their long feet and legs to fall towards the Earth as they glide slowly in and fall to the ground and touch down. It's a remarkable experience to watch as they are such large birds. Getting really good images can be tough. While I enjoy the Cranes and try to photograph them foraging and performing their mating dances on the ground, I really enjoy photographing them in flight more. Wouldn't it be something to see a nest with a fresh clutch of Cranes with their little tan fuzzy, furry bodies. They're at least a good sized bird as they emerge from their huge eggshells.

Obviously, I have to keep the winter doldrums from setting in so on the sunny days when the dark, dreary clouds have parted, I have traveled to the parks and refuges to photograph the wildlife and Winter scenery, especially if we have had snow. The new banner I posted today reflects the wildlife images I have taken since mid December. It's hard to believe that I have captured all of these images in a short month's time, but when you set your mind to it you can accomplish most anything. Now tell me, how is your Winter fairing? Are you outdoors participating in Winter sports or inside with a warm drink in hand? ENJOY!

Cranes, Cranes & More Cranes

After reading your comments on my post from New Year's Day, I felt compelled to post some additional images from yesterday's trip. These trips to observe wildlife in winter really help keep my seasonal effective disorder at bay. Fortunately, it wasn't snowing or 20 degrees yesterday as it is today. It was a balmy 45 degrees with a light breeze. Perfect weather to photograph birds.



As is customary, Sandhill Cranes flock together in a small family. The juveniles stay with the adults for several years. Sandhill Cranes group together in large flocks as they are doing in these images while overwintering in southern Indiana. Sometime early February they will take off and head north to their breeding grounds in Northern Canada to begin their nest building and raising new chicks.



The second image is the Sandhill Cranes as they were breaking away from the large flock. I would love to know why they do this, but I don't think we ever will. I do know I was witness to this same thing one day last year on one of several trips to this area. A large flock broke into two flocks as a few hundred Cranes took of and landed in the same field just a thousand or so yards away from the original group. I keep trying to capture a really good image of the Cranes performing their mating dance, but it's difficult as they are so quick about it. With Cranes it is all about just how close they are willing to allow you to walk up to them and that generally means you are at least several hundred yards away. I have a fairly good feel for it now that I've photographed them six to seven times over the last couple of years. No Whooping Cranes in this grouping like there was last year. Perhaps one will show up later this month. We are headed for -7 degrees here next week. OMG! ENJOY!

Sandhill Cranes, New Years Day

A beautiful sunny day was quickly waning as cloud cover moved in today in Southern Indiana so I shot image after image as quickly as my camera could focus and snap.



As luck would have it I was able to capture this beautiful image of a juvenile Sandhill Crane with an adult. Juvenile Sandhill Cranes are smaller in stature and have a tan head. I just love seeing the juveniles, but unfortunately it's hard to make them out in the large gathering of Cranes so you take your chances that you've captured one when you're culling your images for the #1's. As is usual with Sandhill Cranes, they were busy eating, drinking, dancing their mating ritual dance, taking off, flying and then landing again.



At one point, however, while I was standing by my car with a stick in hand scraping mud off the bottom of my boots, having walked a short distance into the field, suddenly I heard a major uproar and flapping of wings. I looked over toward the huge gathering of Cranes to see this second image. Quickly I dropped the stick and grabbed my camera. It was going to be Sandhill Crane Palooza for a few minutes and I didn't want to miss it. Hundreds of Sandhill Cranes lifted off unexpectedly making a loud ruckous. Perhaps there was a tremor in the force. In no time every single one of those Cranes dropped down into the same field about an eighth of a mile away. Amazing and definitely a great way to begin 2014. Happy New Year Everyone. ENJOY!

Blue Skies and Cranes

Blue skies kind of day with lots of sunshine, yet still a bit nippy. I made a quick trip north to the outlet mall just south of Indianapolis to pick up a few things. Afterwards I stopped at the wildlife refuge and then made my way to Ewing Bottoms to check on the status of the Cranes.

As early afternoon made its way into late afternoon, Cranes began flying in from adjacent farm fields for the evening roost. Ten here. Twenty there. Thirty there. Everywhere I looked they were flying in. They'll leave soon for their breeding grounds in Canada for the warmer months, but I've enjoyed having them nearby for the winter. Hope your weekend was fantastic. ENJOY!

Graceful Sandhill Cranes

Without a shadow of a doubt, these beautiful Sandhill Cranes appear the most graceful when in flight.

From pecking the ground while they feed, to dancing about in the midst of hundreds of other cranes in their ritual mating dance, to stretching out their wings to lift their large bodies off the ground, to witnessing them fly overhead. Yes, these creatures are gorgeous. No doubt. Please cry uncle if you tire of my Crane images. I won't mind. Thanks to everyone for your well wishes on my post last evening. I promise I'll be back out soon on yet another photo trek. ENJOY!

Photo of the Week

March typically comes in like a lion. However, it was January that exited last evening with blizzard conditions, and then in the wee hours of morning, February beckoned a hardy greeting with ten degree temps and minus ten degree wind chill.

Given that, I felt compelled to offer you a soft sepia tone image of several Sandhill Cranes in flight, in an effort to carry everyone into the weekend. These large wading birds gather in the tens of thousands in northern Indiana in Fall. Generally, they fly in and out of Jasper Pulaski in northern Indiana as they prepare to migrate to points south. During the colder frigid days of January and early February, while most Cranes have flown to more southerly points in the U.S., many have opted to spend the winter flying in and out of bottom lands, farm fields and Mustatatuck in southern Indiana and central Kentucky. In many ways you could say they are right outside my back door. The Cranes will soon begin their annual migration back to their breeding grounds in northern Canada. They'll be missed, however, I've enjoyed photographing them in these bleaker winter months when photo opts are less than desirable. Two Clipper systems will be making their way across northern Kentucky tomorrow and Sunday bringing more snow. Stay warm everyone, it's what I like to call 'dead of winter' out there. ENJOY!

Photo of the Week

Ewing Bottoms has currently been taken over by the Sandhill Crane migration in southern Indiana. The Cranes number in the thousands in one huge farm field alone. In that particular field, there was an opening between two clusters of trees with thousands of cranes to the left and thousands behind the trees. Slowly, I made my way toward the opening, while staying hidden by trees on my right, so as not to disturb the Cranes I hoped to photograph behind the trees. The thousands of Cranes to my left were too far away so I knew I wouldn't disturb them.

Always in my mind I'm repeating the unwritten rule, don't disturb the wildlife. I got as close as I felt comfortable before stopping to take some photos. The crane behavior behind the treeline was much like that you'd find in a bus terminal. Cranes were flying in. Cranes were flying out. Cranes were lifting off, landing, and of course, dancing about in their traditional courting ritual. It was a hotbed of busy activity and I felt blessed to witness it in person. This particular image demonstrates best the unique interaction that takes place between the Cranes in their 'very' social gatherings. And I happen to think this image is beautiful. I hope you agree. ENJOY! PHOTOGRAPHER'S NOTE: Photo enhanced with Lomo-ish and Orton-ish textures.

Sandhill Cranes Up Close

Sandhill Cranes close up . . .

And close up . . .

And in flight . . .

I captured these images near the fire station in Cecilia, Kentucky. The Cranes have been there for about a week flying in and out of different farm fields. It was kind of like Cranapolooza the day I took these. ENJOY!

Sandhill Cranes, Ewing Bottoms

Traveling west of Mustatatuck NWR and Seymour, Indiana, you'll come to Ewing Bottoms which sits northwest of Brownstown. The Bottoms is a very, very vast and low lying area of farmland known mostly to the locals. Cross the bridge over Driftwood River just outside Ewing to reach the Bottoms.

A two lane road cuts right through the middle of the farmland and half a mile or more down the road you can find the Sandhill Cranes. Hundreds and hundreds of Sandhill Cranes are wintering here in the Bottoms. I snapped several hundred images today and was lucky enough to capture this image of an adult and juvenile standing side by side. Juvenile Sandhill Cranes have a brown or tan face and head. I love the contrast of the adult next to the juvenile.

I turned onto a farm road that was also a public road and found myself surrounded on both sides by huge flocks of cranes off in the distance. So beautiful with their long, long legs and their long beaks and red faces. You can find the Cranes here in Ewing Bottoms until late February at which time they will slowly begin to decrease in numbers as smaller flocks will pick up and head home for Canada and points north. By early March they should all be on their Spring migration home.

And if capturing these beauties wasn't enough today, I did capture an image of a Whooping Crane. Wow! So excited about that. Also I took a few images of Yellow Legged Gulls that had flown in to one of the farm fields across from the Cranes, and I also captured a few images of a pair of Northern Shovelers floating on a pond of water. What a birding day I had. More photos coming. ENJOY!

Sandhill Cranes, Seymour, IN

These Sandhill Cranes were grazing in farmlands just south of Seymour today. These birds are so amazing to watch and to hear. They have a clickety click sound they make. Nothing like anything I've ever heard. I had to drive past the exit to Henryville on I-65 today to get to Mustatatuck. It was a heart wrenching experience seeing the damage what little I could see from the highway. I wanted to stop and offer my help, but the media has said they had so many volunteers they can't possibly use them all. Perhaps in a few weeks when things have calmed down. I still pray. ENJOY!

Sandhill Cranes, Perspective!

Another image from yesterday's drive to photograph the Sandhill Cranes staging in areas around Cecilia, Kentucky. This particular image was starkly green and vastly out of focus. I had mistakenly turned the setting on my camera in the wrong direction. I realized after I took this photograph and changed it. But there was no going back to get this image again. After some work, I did manage to get most of the green out of the image, but at the cost of clarity and much more. But still I felt I wanted you to see this image as its perspective is so unique. Two cranes looking in opposite directions. Perspective is important in an image. In this one it's quite dominant. And while it's not my best work, granted it's pretty lousy in quality, it's ok. Because into every life a little imperfection is ok. ENJOY!

Sandhill Cranes, Spring Migration!

Today I took a short drive just south of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, which is about 40 miles south of Louisville. I went in search of Sandhill Cranes. The Kentucky Birding website had several posts indicating the cranes were roosting during their Spring migration in an area just west of Cecilia, Kentucky. And as luck would have it, I found the exact spot noted on the website from yesterday's sighting.

When migrating, you can view Sandhills in flocks of hundreds and thousands. These birds today are making their way across Kentucky and Indiana to reach their nesting area in the Great Lakes Region. These birds with their long necks and long legs, generally have tufted feathers over their rump, and may have a reddish stain on their feathers. You can see the reddish stain on some of the images I took today. Other distinguishing marks are white cheeks and a red forehead.

While I tried to take a photo of the cranes doing their mating dance, the flock in this image was too far in the distance so the mating dance got a little lost in translation.


Some 650,000 Sandhill Cranes make the Midwest migration annually with a higher peak in numbers occurring around March 1st. Jasper Pulaski NWR in northwest Indiana is the place to spot tens of thousands of Sandhill Cranes. This is one of their preferred staging areas. It's just north of Indianapolis and isn't difficult to find. If you live nearer to that area, it's the place to spot them. Hope your weekend is going well. ENJOY!