Well, this was a pleasant, fun surprise yesterday.

I had just got done photographing a couple of bald eagles (naturally!) and was hiking back to my truck when I heard a rather unusual call. At first, I dismissed it as Canada geese but then realized this was something different.

Looking up, I see three separate flights of a dozen or more each of sandhill cranes. Flying straight over me wasn’t ideal but it was fun to see and I got some captures out of the event, including this one.

The cranes are now working their way to their winter homes in Texas and northern Mexico.