The Sandhill Cranes are flying in for the winter. We are seeing large echelons of cranes flying along the Rio Grande. It seems like they are arriving early this year. Since the Balloon Feasta was canceled, it’s nice to see the cranes flying overhead.
Cranes coming into roost on the river well after sundown.
Cranes through the Tangle Heart Tree.
Off Center & Not Even 
I dont see the cranes here, they are not common, but I do see large swarms of small birds coing from scandinaviaor russia migrating south
Thanks, Harry.
Fantastic shots, Timothy
Thanks, Leyla.
Awesome! I’ll need to visit the valley fields soon, I reckon, to see what I can see.
Hi Bruce. These guys might be flying further south. I haven’t seen many on the river or in the fields around us.
Very cool.
Thanks, Dale.
Welcome, cranes! May they have a safe winter. They’ve got love covered with Holly’s Tangle Heart Tree! Beautiful shots!
Nice captures, Timothy. I always enjoy hearing them before spotting them. Even though they are so high they are hard to spot, you can still hear them very clearly.
Thanks, Maj & Sher. They have such a distinctive call. They often fly in low over our property then circle to gain altitude on the thermals before continuing south. We get quite a concert from hundreds for cranes circling over our heads while gaining altitude.
Nature is never far wrong… Some of our birds few South early also.. They know I think we may be heading into a harsher winter than seen in a few years here in the UK… I always look at the hedgerows, and nature… Berries are in abundance this year..
Love Cranes… And glad they know where to keep warm…. Great photo shots.. 🙂
Hi Sue, we have cold winters, but many of the cranes stay in our area because there is plenty to eat in the fields and orchards around us, and we have the Rio Grande where they roost. A hundred miles south of is Bosque Del Apache where thousands of Sandhill Cranes spend the winter. They cancelled the festive of cranes that’s in November this year.
Sounds like a great place for them… The Rio Grande, a beautiful setting.. Sadly many things have got cancelled world wide this year…. At least Nature isn’t aware of lockdowns, as yet 😉 Sending thoughts your way Tim
Getting back to look properly. They are amazing.
Thanks Shey. The cranes are always a welcome sight.
It is good to see the cranes again, and that s is nice photo of them through the tangle heart tree. How did it get to be this time of year already? 🙂
Thanks, Lavinia. The cranes are a welcome sight and sound.
That’s awesome! So beautiful flying around the Tangle Heart! Ironically I had a flock of eight Sandhill Cranes in my yard this morning eating berries beneath this huge tree I have ( I’m not sure what kind it is but in the fall it sheds bluish black berries ( looks a lot like blue berries but not) I fed them some cereal last week so not surprised to find them back in force. Beautiful photograph.
Hi Holly. You are spoiling your cranes. It was nice they flew by your Tangle Heart Tree.
They must know they are magic. 😊
Cranes rack up the frequent flyer miles, as part of their magic. Checkout the article about a crane that flew back and forth to Bosque del Apache for 36 years racking up over 51,000 miles: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Bosque_del_Apache/wildlife/bands.html
That is just amazing! Love that link! they are gorgeous strong birds and very family oriented. I usually see them in units of three, Mom, Dad, and offspring.
We see them in pairs and threes a lot. Sometimes as many as three young ones with two adults, but that’s not common. Sometimes a lone crane flies over, it it is very disturbed. Same thing with Canadian Geese, the rare singe goose calls out desperately for another goose to answer. It’s really sad.
Yes, I’ve witnessed this and if a family is separated they will call out and search. Very sad and human quality.
Thank you for sharing these photos of the cranes Tim. It’s so good that you see so many critters and wild landscapes.
So cool! It’s a shame they canceled the Balloon Festival this year.
The balloon fiesta doesn’t work without people crowding together. Thanks, Tiffany.
I always look for them at this time of the year. After the corn is harvested, they show up to glean the fields. It shouldn’t be long now.
They love corn and the apples that fall off the trees. Thanks, Rebecca.
How fun to hear them flying overhead. I’ve had some great experiences seeing thousands of them roost in AZ. A visit to Bosque in the fall remains on my must-do list (husband not cooperative 😆)
Hi Ingrid. The cranes are so much fun. You would enjoy Bosque. Resident eagles, coyotes and other critters are there as well.
There were over 1000 at Percha Dam State Park on the 7th. The park is near Caballo Reservoir.This is a very nice facility for viewing wildlife.
That;s cool. I haven’t been out and about much lately. Thanks, Susan.
Lovely capture of the cranes, Tim. Beautiful birds!
Thanks, Mia.
Fabulous Tangle-Heart magic!
Cranes and the Tangle Heart are Magic. Thanks, Resa.
cranes are so cool!
Hi Holly. We have lots of cranes flying in. They are so much fun.
I’ve not seen many cranes in my life. Here, I’ve seen blue herons
We have a few resident Great Blue Herons. I got a photo of three of them together on the Rio Grande a month or so ago, not common. We get a lot of Sandhill Cranes in the winter. Many continue south to Bosque del Apace and beyond, but a lot stay in Corrales all winter.
Wonderful shots Tim ..
Thanks, Julie.