Sandhills at The Salton Sea~

On By cindy knokeIn Birds, Conservation, HOLLER HAPPENINGS, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, Wild Life

With all their birdie buddies!

The heavy rains have filled the seas making happy and healthy birdies (click to enlarge).

The Sandhill Cranes have flown here en masse,

to take advantage of the bounty.

This is the first time they have allowed me close enough to get decent photos.

Sandhills are big birdies,

standing up to 4 1/2′ tall when fully extended,

They winter in the Salton Sea,

and head north soon,

to breed.

I have seen them doing their mating dances,

in the far Arctic.

Sorry to be out of touch. We are traveling, and wifi is unreliable.

Cheers to you for the wintering Sandhill Cranes~

236 thoughts on “Sandhills at The Salton Sea~”

  2. Deborah

    The sandhills fly through SW Colorado on their way north via the Platte River in Nebraska. The Salton Sea looks really full.

    O/T: Did you receive the email I sent?

    Reply
      1. Deborah

        When they stop over in SW Colorado, their numbers are huge. The same when they lay over on the Platte. I sent you a DM thru Instagram. Hopefully you’ll receive it.

        Reply

    1. Thank you Lynette. I have seen them near The Arctic Circle too, with the polar bears! Small world. ･:*:･｡(〃･ω･)ﾉ Happy Valentine’s Dayヽ(･ω･〃)｡･:*:･ﾟ

      Reply

  15. I enjoyed your closeups of these amazing creatures. I attended the sandhill crane festival nearby in East Tennessee recently at the 6,000 acre Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge where the Hiwassee and Tennessee rivers meet.

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  16. Wonderful shots of these beautiful birds. They are certainly huge. And it’s good to know their nesting grounds are abundant after the rains.

    Everywhere looks lush and fresh.

    Happy safe travels Cindy. ❤️ xx

    Reply

    1. Thanks much Sue. The seas are looking so beautiful and the birds, abundant and happy. Wonderful to see ﾟ･:*:･｡(〃･ω･)ﾉ Happy Valentine’s Dayヽ(･ω･〃)｡･:*:･ﾟ

      Reply

  17. Delightful photo’s Cindy, and I think they let you in close because you danced their dance, gave of natures love and energy so you weren’t a threat. Thank you for sharing kind lady, and keep enjoying your travels. I am enjoying them for what you always bring back and share 🤣❤️🙏

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    3. Hopefully you’re right Mark. Also, since they come here once a year, they may have noticed my years long attempt to get closer to them and taken pity on me. Birds remember დ

      Reply

  34. They are amazing birds, Cindy 🙂 Such wonderful captures. A friend just told me yesterday about one who lost her/his mate and just roams around honking all day…so sad.
    Happy Valentine’s Day!! Hope your travels are fun and filled with lots of love and light <3

    Reply

    1. That is incredibly sad. Birds that mate for life are so endearing and so sad when they lose a mate. ﾟ･:*:･｡(〃･ω･)ﾉ Happy Valentine’s Dayヽ(･ω･〃)｡･:*:･ﾟ

      Reply

    1. Thank you Jane . There are scores of black ibis and even oyster catchers here now. 1000’s of snow geese flew directly over my head and I saw the burrowing owls. Perfection! ﾟ･:*:･｡(〃･ω･)ﾉ Happy Valentine’s Dayヽ(･ω･〃)｡･:*:･ﾟ

      Reply

  43. “Big birdies” is right — wow! I’ll bet the sound they make when they flap those immense wings must be something to hear. Glad they let you get close, Cindy. Enjoy your travels and be safe!

    Reply

    1. Yes they are incredible in flight. Today I had thousands of snow geese take off and fly close, directly over my head. It was such a thrill! ﾟ･:*:･｡(〃･ω･)ﾉ Happy Valentine’s Dayヽ(･ω･〃)｡･:*:･ﾟ

      Reply

    1. I love when they take off honking enmass. Quite the spectacle, today I had thousands of snow geese take off right over my head. I was engulfed by them and utterly thrilled. I knew if they were angry at me, they would let loose some fusillades, but nary a drop fell, so I was happy დ

      Reply

  56. Wonderful captures Cindy, and such a blessing to get so close to them. Always a great find to have this many of a species such as this. These birds are like our Brolga, a relative of this bird down south which I post occasionally. Do these birds do a courting dance like the Brolga ?

    Reply

    1. You are most welcome. We are at The Salton Sea which is full to the brim with water and birds. ･:*:･｡(〃･ω･)ﾉ Happy Valentine’s Dayヽ(･ω･〃)｡･:*:･ﾟ Resa დ

      Reply

    1. Also so wonderful to see posts from you & Jack. Looks like you are both having a wonderful time. Good on you both! We have a bunch of stuff planned, next up ski trip with the kids and twin grandsons დ

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  71. These are all wonderful, Cindy. I loved seeing that giant flock in flight. But the closeups are amazing too. I can’t help wondering if those red feathers on their heads inspired the traditional red makeup at the eyes.
    Hugs on the wing.

    Reply

  72. Wonderful photos, Cindy. I had read about the problems with drought and toxic chemicals at the Salton Sea and was wondering how the recent rains affected it. It’s clear the lake needs long-term solutions, but it’s good to know that there is enough water there at present to help out the birds (and people).

    Reply

    1. Yes, The Salton Sea is a severe environmental pollution problem. It collects runoff pesticides from California’s Central Valley farmlands. It is a critical resting spot on the Pacific Flyway. Over 124,000 birds overwinter here, about 25 different species, as well as the unusual odd ducks! Half measures have been passed to protect the sea which is also a critical ecosystem for a variety of mammals. Dust from the sea is a cause of respiratory illness and asthma in people living in nearby communities. Serious action needs to be taken to protect all the life dependent on the sea დ

      Reply

  79. Pingback: Photo Phriday – Sandhill Cranes « ckbooksblog

  81. Enjoy your travels!

    We have Great Blue herons here. They are so elegant when they fly!

    There was one park we visited in Florida where the birdies didn’t mind us getting up too close. I keep wanting to blow those photos up and hang ’em in my home!!

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  84. Pingback: Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Blogger Weekly 24th February 2024 – #Poetry Diana Peach, #Cakes Olga Nunez Miret, #BlackHistoryMonth Jill Dennison, #SaltonSea Cindy Knoke, #Clubs Stevie Turner, #TotalEclipse Thomas Wikman, #guitarcake Robbie Chead

  89. They’re like submarines in the tall shrubbery, popping their heads up like a telescope! Pretty ‘wow moment’ to see so many in one place. Do you know this song by Crowded House called Private Universe? Your photos have me hearing it in my head.

    I have all I want, is that simple enough?
    A whole lot more I’m thinking of
    Every night about six o’clock
    Birds come back to the pond to talk
    They talk to me — birds to talk to me
    If I go down on my knees

    Reply

  90. They have begun their northern flight. They spend about month in our region, sometimes longer. I’ve seen them flying lots and lots, and once they landed on our big water but the dog spooked them before i got close for photos. What fabulous pictures you got!!

    Reply

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