For the 4th time in the last 7 days, I heard and then saw a flock of Sandhill Cranes flying over. Today I was just going down the path next to Veterans Pond when I heard that wonderful sound. It took me a moment but then I located a flock of about 30 cranes that seemed to be circling in a thermal to get elevation. Unfortunately there was no one to share them with. 🙁
And yesterday I was at Les Bois race track when I heard that delightful sound. The flock yesterday consisted of just 6 birds, in a “vee” formation, heading generally upriver. In retrospect, I would have to say that each of the 4 flocks I’ve seen were heading generally upriver.
Also, today was the 11th day in a row where I found at least 40 species on my bike ride. The highest count was 46, which is quite surprising to me for this time of year. Surprise birds have included Hairy Woodpeckers, WB Nuthatches, Merlins, and, of course, Sandhill Cranes. And today I encountered a pair of Cooper’s Hawks noisily cruising around in an area where they nested last year. 😉
Tom McCabe, Boise