TROPIC and NEAR-TROPIC BIRD COLLECTION

Hollering Sandhill Cranes Sandhill Crane- Grus canadensis Sandhill Crane Flock, Grus canadensis, Order Gruiformes, Family Gruidae, Subfamily Gruinae. While the photos are marginal, this is a first for me in the American Midwest! Note: the leader of the pack is making lots of noise! This flock of Sandhill Cranes circled for over 30 minutes over the Brookville mudflats in the northern section of the reservoir in SE Indiana near the Ohio border. It was an amazing sight. It is one of the few cranes in the world that is still common. Sandhill Crane flight postures differ from Great Blue Herons in that Great Blues fly with their neck curled against the body. (Photo: Nov 7, 2004, Canon EOS 1D Mark II digital camera with 400mm f/5.6 L lens) More Species Info: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/programs/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Sandhill_Crane_dtl.html

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Photos Copyright R. Hays Cummins. Authorization required. For permission, contact bigbendwildlands@gmail.com

Sources of species identification and other amazing info include (1) Cornell Lab of Ornithology--a fantastic site; (2)Birds of Eastern and Central North America, Peterson Field Guide Series, Fifth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company; (3) The National Audubon Society's Sibley Guide to Birds and (4) Field Guide to the Birds of North America, Third Edition, National Geographic, Washington, D.C.