Late on a cold, crisp afternoon, I stepped outside to get a breath of fresh air and take in some of nature’s sights and sounds before nighttime fell on our little part of the world.
A small flock of cedar waxwings, with their high-pitched whistles, flitted about in the sky before temporarily settling in the top of one of our maple trees.
A group of grackles shared an adjoining maple tree, the males puffing out their feathers and bellowing out raspy squeaks in an attempt to outdo each other.
A robin peered down at me from its perch in the top of a neighbor’s tree.
Then I heard them — the faint and familiar sound of a bird that I have been looking forward to seeing since they returned to their wintering grounds at a nearby refuge. Flying high above, they slowly came into sight — my first seasonal glimpse of the Sandhill Cranes.
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” ~Maya Angelou
walking on a country road 
They are indeed magnificent birds – almost prehistoric looking and long gangly legs. Your photos are awesome❤️
Thanks, Kathy! Some sources say that cranes are among the oldest bird species on earth with a Sandhill Crane fossil found dating back approximately 2.5 million years. It is hard to wrap your mind around that. 🙂
love the photo of the contrail intersecting the ‘v’ of the cranes!
Thanks, Jane!
That must have been a sight to see (and hear)… lucky you were out there to witness it!
It’s always nice to be in the right place at the right time. 🙂
I didn’t realize they flew in V-formation – very nice and you had a two-fer with the contrail in the shot as well. You had a productive evening Rebecca! That quote is spot-on for this post.
Thanks, Linda! From a distance, the Sandhill Cranes do look a lot like a flock of geese that I often see flying over our house, so it really helps to listen to the sound they are making in order to tell them apart quickly. When I took the photo with the plane, I had no idea that it was above them, but it doesn’t surprise me as I often see planes taking that route in the afternoon. The Sandhill Cranes didn’t seem to be bothered by it. 🙂
Amazing and I always like how these large birds tuck their feet in and look so streamlined in flight. That was a lucky shot with the plane!