Michigan Will Witness Spectacular Migration Prehistoric Like Birds
Are you familiar with sandhill cranes? I'm a bird watcher and have been ever since I was a little kid, but I have no idea what a sandhill crane is.
Here's how mlive;com describes sandhill cranes:
Sandhill cranes are often compared to living dinosaurs, and for good reason: not only are they believed to have existed in their present form for more than 2.5 million years, their bright yellow eyes, six-foot wingspans and trumpeting calls make them seem like creatures from Jurassic Park.
Their six foot wing spans are as wide as I am tall. No wonder they call them dinosaur like birds. And very soon, these birds will be migrating in Michigan.
Right now it's all about migrating for sandhill cranes. This from mlive.com:
This time of year, sandhill cranes begin their annual migration from their summer breeding grounds across northern North America to their winter homes in the southern U.S. and northern Mexico. As the species’ migration peaks from mid-October through November, thousands of these graceful giants pass through the Great Lakes and Plains states, creating jaw-dropping scenes when they congregate in large groups to rest and refuel as the sun goes down.
I now have a new goal, to spot a sandhill crane in Michigan. This would be so cool. How hard could it be? Just look for a bird that stands 5 feet tall with a 6 foot wingspan, and has a bright red head.
So how do we find them? We can tell you that sandhill cranes feed on seeds and grains. And these dinosaur like birds can be found in wetlands too.
Several have been spotted throughout Jackson and Washtenaw counties.