Sandhill cranes always excite me. Aside from backyard birds like robins, they are the first birds that intrigued me — years ago when I read about them in Leopold’s “A Sand County Almanac” for a college class. Although I had not ever seen the birds, Leopold’s description stuck with me, and years later I was thrilled to learn that they are abundant in parts of California. I had not realized this, and it was an accidentally “discovery” made back when I started to photograph migratory geese.

Given that geese first brought me to the places where the cranes are found, the differences between the habits of these kinds of birds caught my attention. Geese often assemble noisily in flocks containing thousands of birds, but most cranes stick to somewhat smaller groups. (Though there are exceptions.) While geese flocks often take to the air in huge numbers, most of the time I see cranes in groups of a few dozen or less. Their pattern of flight usually (though, again, there are exceptions) features slower wing motion and often extensive periods of gliding. I photographed this pair flying above me in the very early morning light.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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