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The Scene of Montana Sandhill Cranes
February 2, 2015 | Leave a Comment
Montana is of course popular for being richly endowed with natural wonders. Try spending your winter under the big sky state and you’re all set for a lifetime’s worth of winter time moments. Literally basking with the state’s endowment of almost endless natural sceneries will allow you to discover the wonder of the big sky’s diverse range of floral and faunal species base.
On the faunal side of things, one of the most noticeable wildlife under Montana’s big skies are the Sandhill cranes. They are majestic, tall birds that boast of gracefully long legs and necks, which extends in full gait when in flight, with their long and dark legs trailing backwards in a straight position while they keep their equally long necks also in a straight position, pointing forward. They also sport particularly dark colored bills and white colored cheeks. Their foreheads have an adorable red color which is highlighted by the contrast from the adult species’ overall gray color.
Sandhill cranes are highly abundant in the big sky state, qualifying it as one of the area’s most notable and unforgettable wildlife sights. The Montana State Parks’ Migratory Bird Stamp Design Contest back in 2002 has made the Sandhill cranes its theme.
Sandhill cranes have several recognized subspecies, and the most recognizable and popular are Greater and the Lesser Sandhill cranes. The Greater variant boasts a height of five feet, possessing a five-inch bill, and the Lesser variety come standing at four feet tall with a four-inch bill that resembles the look of a dagger. They are highly noted for strong soaring ability due to particularly large wingspans.
Several hundred individual birds form a Sandhill crane migration flock unit, which forms a clearly recognizable outline of the air thermals they use during group flights. A known social bird species, they live in pairs and family units, but also tend to associate with non-related groups when periods of migration and winter necessitates cooperative roosting and foraging between different flocks. They use trilling cries to send communication signals to lost members, and the cry is a very powerful tool for re-uniting them again.
Sandhill cranes can be seen in large flocks of migration in north eastern Montana during mid-April and late September up to the month of October. To have an excellent, practically undisturbed opportunity of watching the majestic Sandhill cranes, you would be well advised to take extra effort at being very quiet and best of all staying still. You would also need to calculate and keep a good distance, for as much as a range of 370 meters away, as these birds are always on the alert looking out for intruders and are ready to fly away at any sign of the slightest disturbance.
Photo Information: This photo is provided by and given credit to Henry Alva – on Flickr.com with permission via Creative Commons Licensing.