They're back, Sandhills

[Kevin Weir]

This afternoon, while doing some yard "That sure sounded like some sandhill cranes up high". Then I just forgot it, until. Sure enough, unmistakeable, that funny sound was in fact a flock of sandhill cranes, headed north. They are in the Othello area by now and staging for the festival next month. While there were only a hundred or so, more will be arriving. Spring is on the way.

 

[Pat M]

Saw my first big group today. We have been fogged in the last 4 days so I'm sure they have been around since the weekend just wasn't able to see them. We get 1000's of them around here.

 

[Gary Lee]

I really enjoy hearing them. It hasn't been too many years ago and just hearing or seeing one was a very rare sight. Recently I have seen more of them than ducks. Does anyone have any information of Sandhills as far as population estimates? One day a few years ago I had a group of 500 or so come into my decoys. The front of the group dropped in a few feet from me and the others kept falling from the sky. Talk about a racket! Made my ears hurt, but was well worth it!