As promised, I wanted to do a little feature on the Sandhill
Cranes we met on our trip to George C. Reifel Migratory Bird
Sanctuary. My friends – both of whom had been to the sanctuary
before, and thus knew what awaited us – didn’t tell me about the
cranes. Instead, they left the presence of these crazy critters
as a little surprise for me. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not
the world’s most patient or observant birder, but you positively
can’t miss these guys. They are enormous (about the size of a
Great Blue Heron) and make a noise kind of like you’d imagine a
pterodactyl might make. Also, they’re pretty used to their human
neighbours in the park, so they’ll casually stroll down the path
toward you. It’s a little disconcerting being that close to such
large pointy beaks, I’m not going to lie! I was completely
intrigued by these cool-looking birds, and I immediately wanted
to learn a little more about them. Sandhill Crane Fun Facts:
Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) like to live in open areas
like grasslands,