This evening I located a large flock of SANDHILL CRANES scattered across a newly harvested corn field on the Royal Slope near Columbia NWR. The cranes were west of Road E SE behind the Sunny Royal Slope Dairy, NW of Royal Lake. I counted 1800 but there were birds leaving as I arrived, and a few others scattered in alfalfa. Also near Corfu Road a darkish MERLIN was "hopping" along a ditch bank ahead of my truck.

Randy Hill
Othello