Skip to main content

Sandhill Cranes



Yesterday I heard them! I stopped mid stride and looked up.  I wanted to find them, to see if I could see them.  I heard that trill that I always associated with them and there they were.  The Sandhill Cranes were flying over Chicago headed north.  To me, they announce the glorious end of winter and the beginning of my favorite season, spring.

In this picture from my phone, they do not look like much but I have recently learned that they can be 2.5 to 4 feet tall, weigh between 6 and 14 pounds, they are omnivores and have an impressive 5 to 6-foot wingspan.


One of the things that I have observed about them is that they seem to communicate with each other.  They stop mid-flight and circle around. They circle in a pattern and then for some reason form their beautiful V-shape formation and fly off again. I wonder what they are looking for?  Are they stopping to enjoy the view?  Are they recalculating an inner compass?  Are they doing a mandatory headcount?  I am not sure.  I know one thing however, for me they herald in the change of the seasons.  They seem to announce that spring is waking up again in the northern hemisphere and for me, it is worth stopping and taking note.  Thanks for flying over cranes.  Enjoy your trip.  See you again in the fall.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Read to Them

One of the quotes that I often think about is Emily Buchwald’s “ Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.” Teaching reading is very difficult and reading to a child that has never been read to makes the job seem impossible.   Today it made me think about what made me a reader. As a child, my mother, who taught reading for years, read to my brothers and I  every Box Car Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner.   I do not remember the stories exactly but I remember loving the stories and cherishing our special time together.   Later in life, my father and I did a book study for religious education on the book Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Harnard.   Again, I do not remember much about the book but I remember the time we spent together and the close bond that I felt.    Today I decided to look at a review of Harnard’s book.   The review states that over 2 million copies were sold.   “It is a timeless story of Go...
1 comment
Read more

Alma

Today I read a charming children’s book written and illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal called Alma and How She Got Her Name. It is a 2019 Caldecott Honor Book.   It is a sweet story about how Alma doesn’t like her name because it is too long.   Her name, to be exact is Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela.   Six names!   Six very long names she tells her father.   As her father tells her the story behind each of her names she realizes that her name is perfect for her.   She learns that her special name will one day provide her with the opportunity to share her story with the world. This story made me think about how as a child I too did not like my name.   My name was different, there was never anyone else with my name and at times I wished for a more traditional name.   So tonight I decided to call my parents, both of whom are now in their 80’s and ask about my name.  I had heard stories about why the named me but honestly, I ne...
2 comments
Read more

Gloria

Hoy quiero escribir sobre Gloria Anzaldúa.   Un poeta, una feminista y un erudito. Hoy leí una cita de ella que nunca antes había notado escrita en una pared en mi trabajo. Esta noche encontré una poema que toca mi alma. Gloria escribió que el lenguaje es una frontera para todos. Una frontera que todos debemos cruzar para definir quiénes somos. Los libros salvaron mi cordura, el conocimiento me abrió lugares que había cerrado y me enseñó primero a sobrevivir y luego a cómo volar.
2 comments
Read more