Sandy’s at Sunset

A small flock of Sandhill Cranes visited the shrinking Lake Paradise in The Villages, FL last evening at twilight.  This lake’s water level is continuing to drop as our local drought goes on.  I took most of the pictures from the wooden deck at Swartz Park at a pretty far distance.

The Sandhill Cranes are loving the exposed tender aquatic plants and grasses now above water.  They also occasionally dine on land insects, mice, small lizards, aquatic insects, frogs, worms, crawdads (crayfish) and tadpoles.  Mostly the cranes prefer grains and grasses.  I often have spotted Sandhill Cranes in ranch pastures and even on the golf courses here in The Villages.

I enjoyed seeing about twelve Sandhill Cranes along with a Trip-colored Heron, a Great Blue Heron, a Snowy Egret, several shorebirds, and about a hundred black-bellied Whistlers plus assorted Mallards and Canada Geese last night on the lake.  Lots to see.  I will share more photo’s of the birds here in coming posts.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the photo.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

A Flock of Florida Sandhill Cranes

This flock of about eleven Sandhill Cranes visited the rapidly drying-up beautiful little Paradise Lake in The Villages, Florida on Monday, April 3, 2017 at dusk.  I think the feeding was great for the big birds!  There were a lot of aquatic plants exposed as well as easily caught minnows, tadpoles, small fish, frogs, and the like.

I think these birds were doing courtship dances as several were hopping and flapping their wings.  They also were vocalizing in a low soft manner.  It also was pretty humorous to see a Great Blue Heron fly over near where the cranes were at and see the reaction of both kinds of birds.  After just a moment of being harassed by the cranes, the heron flew to another area of the lake were the other birds were tiny ones!  Ha!

I believe this group is just visiting but may be from the region.  We have both migratory and native Sandhill Cranes here.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the picture.  Enjoy!  P.S.  It rained on Tuesday – a nice good soaker!  – Wildlifewatcher