Sandhill cranes still around?

[Charline]

I was taking a walk in midtown residential area where two big dark or grey birds flew over me. It was getting dark so I could not see them clearly. Their calls seemed to be similar to sandhill cranes.


What could they be?

[Shortsighted]

Taking a walk in the cold ... good for you. Almost every large bird in flight while also calling right now is a goose. Sandhill cranes need open marshes or wet fields and they therefore migrate south for the winter, seen flying up until about November. Drones perhaps.

[Charline]

SS, thanks for your response. It was not really that cold this evening.   


I am 100% certain they were not Canada geese because of the distinctive rattling calls. On the other hands, it does not seem to be identical to sandhill cranes. I am just not sure.


I was walking near Mount Pleasant Cemetery where there are distributaries of Don River, ponds, creeks and wetlands nearby. A neighbor once photographed a sandhill crane over the cemetery.

[lovemypt]

Yes, some Sandhill cranes are still around,   few up in Minising area and fair number still down in Long Point area.  I have seen them down in Cambridge, Bannister Lake area,  up to end of Dec, depends upon year, once all the lakes and ponds freeze up and snow covers the fields  they move south,  but with the weather this year up & down more have remain this year

[Charline]

Yes, some Sandhill cranes are still around,   few up in Minising area and fair number still down in Long Point area.  I have seen them down in Cambridge, Bannister Lake area,  up to end of Dec, depends upon year, once all the lakes and ponds freeze up and snow covers the fields  they move south,  but with the weather this year up & down more have remain this year

Yes, I even went to Long Point to photograph the sandhill cranes, snow geese and trumpeters a few times in winter.