The encounter between the black bear and the sandhills I told you about yesterday happened on July 13th, just after the second baby hatched. The sandhill family continued to spend their nights on Floating Island Lake and their days on the land behind the lake foraging. Early every morning the parents flew to the land and the babies swam. Except one morning we only saw one baby swimming. The vegetation had grown up on the island so we figured the second baby was just slow to get going. But then someone noticed a small tan colored body on the island. It was the younger chick. The older baby had killed it. A really sad, but common occurrence with sandhills. The parents took very good care of their only remaining chick and it grew quickly. By September it was almost as big as its parents.
On September 6th we got to Floating Island Lake before sunrise.
We had been doing that for over a week because I wanted to see the baby fly and I figured it would do it in the morning as the family moved to its foraging area. It didn’t fly, it swam like it had always done. Then the little guy tricked me. I got there early on the morning of September 7th and the whole family was gone. We still looked for them every time we passed Floating Island Lake but we never saw them again. The baby must have decided to fly on the 6th.
I don’t know exactly when they left Yellowstone but by the beginning week of October it was hard to find a sandhill anywhere in Yellowstone. If you look at a map of the migratory patterns of sandhills you will find that the ones who breed in Yellowstone winter in central New Mexico along the Rio Grande River.
One of their major wintering spots is Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge about 18 miles south of Soccoro. As I write this I am sitting in our trailer about ¼ mile from the entrance of the refuge. According to the most current counts there are now over 10,000 sandhills, 43,000 snow geese, and 65,000 ducks on the refuge. Over the last several weeks we have enjoyed watching those populations go from close to zero to the numbers stated above. I can’t say what my favorite animal is but sandhills are near the top of that list and my favorite bird call is the sandhill crane. Watching them fly out in the morning and return in the evening has been absolutely wonderful.
I wish I could say I’ve found “my” sandhill crane family from Yellowstone but I know they are here, somewhere. Every time I find a family of 2 parents and 1 immature I wonder if they are the ones. (You can tell the immatures because they have a rusty colored area on the top of their head where the adults are red. But most sandhill parents only raise 1 baby so who knows.
What I mostly know is they are absolutely beautiful, graceful birds with a wonderful call.
The sandhills will be in Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge until near the end of February. Then they will head north to reproduce. I hope I can find the Floating Island Lake pair in Yellowstone next spring. If you see a silver Dodge truck with Montana – Yellowstone license plates at Floating Island stop and help me look for them.
If you would like to see more photos of sandhill cranes, as well as read many stories about other Yellowstone animals, with lots of photos, go to www.yellowstonedaily.com.
Our photos are available at www.vernelehmberg.com where you will find over 4,000 photos from Africa to Yellowstone.
Gorgeous photos and I am so jealous about your time at the Bosque! Good that you had a great time and it sounded very relaxing.
Judy, I’m in Texas’s San Antonio. I have put this on my bucket list, because right now my kids (teenagers) would say, “We’re going where???? for vacation?”
It is a happy sound! I get to see them in Yellowstone in the summer, New Mexico now and flying over our house in January and February. I had a pair circle me once. It was my fault but the more I looked at their sharp bills and saw they were getting closer, the more worried I got. I finally just high tailed it out of there but I didn’t go fast because I was carrying 45 pounds of camera gear and it was marshy. Really dumb move on my part.
Judy that was a wonderful story. I just looked up where the wildlife refuge is from San Antonio, where I live, and it is only 10 hours or so. I never knew it existed. I will have to visit it some day. I love all the photos, but the most aaaahhh inspiring is the full moon and cranes. Thank You
Barbara, Did you notice that it is just outside of San Antonio, New Mexico? Not like San Antonio, Texas at all. It has 1 gas station, 2 bars (1 where the guys that made the first atomic bomb used to hang out) and a small Mexican restaurant. It is close to Soccoro which has a campground, hotels, restaurants, and even a Walmart. We stay at Bosque Bird Watchers RV Park. No internet but full hookups and a really nice guy, Billy, who runs it. And it is literally next to the refuge.
Thanks for this story about the Sandhill Cranes. It’s a happy sound when I hear them flying over my house in Sept/Oct and I know I only have a short drive to see them. Amazing birds, love their dancing, jumping antics. Didn’t know they were so fierce protecting their family. Loved reading your stories about them.