Subject: Sandhill Cranes
Date: Jan 14 04:50:37 2004
From: Patricia A. Quyle - paq at rushmore.com


Hi Judy, Brian and Tweets,

I used to live near Lodi and for a couple of years I was a docent for the CA
State Fish & Game. As docent, I led tours for people to view and learn
about Sandhill Cranes. It was a wondrous experience. Each evening near
sunset, Sandhills, by the thousands, would fly into the field, coming in
from nearby rice and grain fields in the Delta, where they fed by day. As
darkness fell, the flooded field where they chose to roost each night would
become so full of Sandhills that you wondered how any more could fly in!
The sight of flocks streaming in from every direction and the air filled
with their primal call was majestic. Eventually, as night took over, the
Sandhills would settle. Other than seeing slight shadows of occasional
movement and hearing a faraway low chatter, no one would know that the
blackened field held thousands of cranes. Then the small groups of people
in our tours would walk softly to their cars and, with lights turned off,
silently exist, driving slowly down the rutted road to the highway and back
to civilization. Each fall the Cranes came, their arrival date never
varying but a few days, one way or the other. They provided me with a
birding experience like no other.

Pat Quyle
paq at rushmore.com