Of course when I mentioned to a few friends that I wanted to go to Staten Island after work to see the sandhill cranes, they looked at me like I was crazy! "Who goes from California to New York to see some construction equipment??"
They didn't actually say that in so many words, but the look in their eyes implied it strongly. I don't really blame them. I, like probably many California residents, had no idea that there is a Staten Island in California. I just found out recently when I was having a conversation with another amateur nature photographer.
She told me that the migrating sandhill cranes gather in large numbers near Lodi and at Staten Island. I had no idea that either of these wildlife refuge sites were there. I didn't even know what a sandhill crane looked like until last February when I stumbled upon the Merced National Wildlife Refuge!
But after hearing wonderful things about the cranes "flying in" in the evenings at sunset, I thought I would venture on the hour-long drive to check it out. I actually tried once before to go there first thing in the morning, but it was completely socked in by fog.
This time, no fog. But also not a lot of cranes. They were there but not in the numbers I expected. There were, however, some surprise (to me) visitors that I was very excited about.
First, let me explain, that apparently this is not an actual "island" even though until THIS VERY MOMENT I thought it was. It is a road straight through land that is marshlike and possibly purposefully flooded to benefit the crane migration.
It IS surrounded on all sides by various water channels such as rivers, canals, etc., so I guess in that respect is could be considered an island. But probably not.
Anyway, please embark with me on a drive down Staten Island Road in the Sacramento River Delta.
As soon as I drove past the informational sign, I spotted some cranes in the first field on my left. This guy was cleaning his beautiful feathers, which were ruffled for the occasion.
They normally don't have their feathers ruffled so prettily. Which is why I wanted to include the above photo, even though it's a tiny bit blurry. My camera was having some serious focusing issues.
I call this next one "Anatomy of the Sandhill Crane". It includes a bird butt shot which is definitely not something you see very often! You're welcome.
As mentioned, there were other birds hanging out as well including the ubiquitous red-winged blackbird!
Next we have another trio of sandhill cranes. One is a little shy.
And since the buzz was about the "fly-in", I did shoot some birds flying in. But, whether it was my damn camera or operator error, they didn't come out as well as I would have liked. 😬
But the cranes were not the only birds who were flying into these fields in large numbers. Nope. The largest bird population on this evening consisted of Cackling Geese.
Now I know what you're thinking... You're thinking "this crazy Staten Island going beezy doesn't even know a Canada Goose when she sees one!" 😜
These are not Canada (or Canadian) Geese. These are Cackling Geese which used to be considered a subspecies of Canada Geese. But they were recognized as their own species in 2004. They summer in the northern reaches of Canada and migrate south to the United States in the winters. They are much smaller than their look-alike cousins with shorter beaks and necks.
There were also a few Northern Shovelers paddling around.
Now we get to the bird that I was so excited to see! The Trumpeter Swan!
As you may have deduced from the snow, that is not my photo. It is from The Trumpeter Swan Society. The swans at Staten Island were quite a bit away from the road. Therefore, my photos are pretty crappy so I thought it important to put that one in so you could see how beautiful they are.
As usual, there were several Great Egrets hanging about.
There was one, lone Ruddy Duck swimming about with an American Coot friend. The sun was creating a glare so not the greatest picture. But the first one I've seen.
The fields belong to working farms. I like this next photo as you can see the furrowed field clearly behind the crane. The farmers work with government agencies to promote the conservation of the cranes and other migratory birds.
Even though there weren't as many cranes as expected, I was totally thrilled to be able to be so close to these amazing creatures once again. The Sacramento River Delta is really gorgeous and I took a lot of random photos without birds in them, which will probably make up my next post.
Here's a quick preview since it actually does have some swallows flitting about...
But for now, I'll leave you with one last look at the beautiful Sandhill Crane.
xoxo
