Visiting Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis)

Observation: Two cranes grazing in the ball field. Last year we had cranes circling town and maybe one landed but this year these two have been seen downtown and up in the ball field. We have never had cranes stop in here before. Something has changed that these migratory birds are stopping here. They have always gone to Homer. What now is here that they are stopping here.

LEO says: The Sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) are among Alaska’s largest birds. They are wading birds that have long black legs, long necks, and black chisel-shaped bills. Adults stand almost three feet (0.9 m) tall and have a wingspan of six feet (1.8 m) or more. Mature birds are an ash-gray color with a bright red forehead. Immature birds are quite mottled with coppery or rusty feathers and lack the red forehead of adults. Adult plumage is attained at two-and-a-half years. In the past, the sandhill cranes in Alaska were called “little brown” cranes and were thought to be a separate species based on their color. Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Species Profile