After all the Sandhill Cranes I saw flying overhead last week, it was evident that they were finally on the move. It has been years since I have been to Jasper-Pulaski Fish & Wildlife Area near Medaryville, Indiana – about a two-hour drive – to see the Sandhill Cranes that have been feeding in the surrounding farm fields all day before congregating at sundown in a field visible from an observation platform, before heading off to the marsh for the evening. The birds are counted in the morning in the wetland area before they disperse. As an example, on November 21 their numbers were around 13,000. One week later, on the 28th, they were counted at nearly 33,000. It was definitely time to go see them. I was joined by my friend Lesa, and we drove to Jasper-Pulaski on Thursday to watch the cranes come in.
When we first arrived around 3:00 P.M., it was still light and a small group was gathering in a field not far from the viewing platform.
The forecast was for cloudy skies, but it was relatively warm for this place where the winds can whip you into a frozen shivering mass, so even if it wasn’t perfect for photographs it was easier to stand and watch for a couple hours. As the clouds came in, so did the cranes.
And they kept coming.
I managed silhouetted views at best when a few cranes flew over a bit closer to the platform.
More cranes gathered at a distance. It was a little easier to focus in this light.
Then as more started to come in, it was the beginning of a spectacle. I took a couple videos toward the end of our visit to capture the sound of the cranes calling. There’s wind noise too.
In a brief sunlit sequence I managed to capture some of the color of these birds flying over.
It’s really hard to convey or capture the numbers of birds as they streamed in from all directions.
I tried to capture the size of the flock as it began to assemble before it got too dark.
Four individuals on the ground were a little closer, if in poor light.
One more video, mainly for the sound and sight of all those birds coming in from farther away.
So as it got darker, and more birds came in, it got harder and harder to photograph them, but that didn’t stop me.
Then I tried to capture the sunset, something I don’t get to see very often unless I drive far away. There are a few cranes against the clouds in the first photo.
Thanks to Lesa’s Garmin on her phone, we got home safely. My cell phone has been acting strangely the last week or two, indicating it wants to be replaced. I took its final hint seriously when it refused to provide a map to drive back. If not for Lesa’s Garmin, we might still be driving around the farm fields trying to find our way out. I ordered a new phone yesterday.
I will be back with more local observations soon. We are experiencing a rainy period which is giving me some time to do more posting. It’s been a good week. Ah yes, and it’s Saturday night as I sign off, which means it’s time for the weekly living room cleanup.
What an awesome experience! Happy for you and Lesa to have been there. Thanks for sharing your videos and photos. The audio on the videos was icing on the cake!
Thanks so much, Babsje. It was special to go after not managing it for I-forget-how-many years. It’s hard to manage a video holding a big lens, but I was more interested in capturing the sound because it’s better with the camera than my cell phone. I felt like I just had to record the sound of those cranes because it’s so awesome. Come to think of it, there were plenty of people on the platform at the time but they were generally pretty quiet, listening to the cranes!
What an experience, I love the sound of them coming in and to have them pour in group after group is just amazing. Some day I hope to see similar here with snow geese. They mass here in Pa in the spring, feeding off spilled grain etc on the farms until the weather warms enough up North. These mass migrations and gatherings are so fascinating.
Thanks, Frank! Snow geese would be fabulous. I hope you get a chance to see them. There is somehow nothing more satisfying than seeing birds congregate like this, year after year after year… in defiance of everything else that keeps changing.
Love those Sandhills. My last visit was very similar. Standing out on the raised platform watching the incoming waves of Sandhills circling and gliding into the fields of remaining corn. As the sun set it did indeed present some colorful changing images of the birds as they coasted in for the night. You even added some of that distinctive sound that only enhances the whole experience.
Thanks, Bob. We looked for Whoopers in the mix, of course, but did not see any. I had to try to capture the sound because it’s such an affirmation. I didn’t manage to record a little wheezing sound that they also made here and there: I’ll have to try for that next time.
Amazing shots and scenes, Lisa! We are lucky to see just one around the mid-Atlantic that’s out of range. ~Donna
Thanks, Donna! You have so many “big birds” where you are – hmmm, maybe that’s why the Sandhills migrate through the Midwest. It never occurred to me before, they might have their own air traffic control system (I’m sure it works better than ours). 🙂
An impressive gathering.
It’s always spectacular to see. I may have to make this a yearly habit.