Sandhill Cranes

I remember getting a strange call from Dave Patton one day about 20 years ago.  He called to say that a family group of Sandhill Cranes had dropped down in a big open field off of Congress Street in the middle of Lafayette.  At the time, seeing a Sandhill Crane anywhere in southwestern Louisiana was an odd surprise, but seeing a group feeding between the Cajundome and the Wetlands Research Center with a backdrop of passing traffic was just absurd.  We stood at wondered at them until they jumped up, circled up into the wind, and sailed away.  

That crane field now hosts a Hilton Hotel, but the fate of Sandhill Cranes in the area has improved in amazing fashion.  In the past few years, Sandhill Cranes have staked a major claim on this part of the state.  What was once a small flock hidden away among the winter fields of Calcasieu Parish's Holmwood area has grown into a presence of thousands of birds, and smaller groups can be found in the surrounding parishes.  Even western Lafayette Parish hosts a small flock.  Let's hope this trend continues and these cranes become a permanent and visible presence in our corner of the state.    

The pictures below were taken last weekend near the town of Iowa.