Cranes in Homer: 8-18-14
Nina Faust reports "The colts are fledging and the non-breeding flocks are returning to the area and gathering. Please send reports of flock locations, time, date, number and how many of them were colts. Enjoy them, migration is less than four weeks away. “ Call 235-6262 or reports@cranewatch.org
The flocks are moving around with migrational unrest, and the families are beginning to join the flocks. Nina said the crane numbers are about the same as last year according to her information. She knows of 11 colts for sure that have now fledged.
The expected departure date for the cranes is around September 10-15th. They wait until the pressure and winds are just right then leave in groups, but often some families with late-fledging colts stay a while longer.
Check out these interesting videos.
“Lesser Sandhill Crane Flight Training” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hf8Yzu17o8
“Lesser Sandhill Cranes: A Tale of Lynx Stalking” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B09PJsxm3e8&feature=em-share_video_user