{"id":25497,"date":"2015-06-15T03:33:46","date_gmt":"2015-06-15T09:33:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=25497"},"modified":"2025-02-25T10:00:21","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T16:00:21","slug":"a-field-of-wildflowers-and-a-sandhill-crane-in-the-centennial-valley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/06\/15\/a-field-of-wildflowers-and-a-sandhill-crane-in-the-centennial-valley\/","title":{"rendered":"Field of Wildflowers and a Sandhill Crane in the Centennial Valley"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SandhillSandhill Crane in a field of wildflowers – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/1600, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

I always think of Sandhill Cranes whenever my thoughts drift to the Centennial Valley of Montana where I always hear their calls, see them in the fields or in flight over the marshes.<\/p>\n

Yesterday I photographed a female and a male in a field of wildflowers on the way to the Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge<\/span><\/a> and it tickled me pink that this image also showed a “red rock”. The image above shows the male (males are larger) looking directly towards me.<\/p>\n

I wish that everyone could see and hear Sandhill Cranes in person at least once in their lives because it is an experience that is not soon forgotten. They touch a place deep inside of me every time I see or hear them.<\/p>\n

And an infuriating update on yesterdays post about the demise of the Magical Sapsucker Tree<\/a><\/span>…<\/p>\n

The tree was definitely chopped down, there are visible hatchet marks on the backside of it. I am %$&^#! pissed that some idiot cut down a tree that had not just one active nesting cavity but THREE. I will be contacting the staff of the Targhee National Forest on my return home with pictures.<\/p>\n

Life is still good. Hopefully<\/em> the birds found other cavities to nest in this season.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my flower, shrub and tree photos. Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Sandhill Crane photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I always think of Sandhill Cranes whenever my thoughts drift to the Centennial Valley of Montana where I always hear their calls, see them in the fields or in flight over the marshes. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":140851,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1513,27,223,12,450,5347],"tags":[4004,4259,3823,3132,3894,4062,7176,4518,5434,3892,5271,4307],"class_list":["post-25497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beaverhead-county-montana","category-avian","category-centennial-valley","category-montana","category-sandhill-cranes","category-wildflowers","tag-adult","tag-antigone-canadensis","tag-crane","tag-cranes","tag-iris-missouriensis","tag-male","tag-meadow","tag-sandhill-crane","tag-valley","tag-western-blue-flag","tag-wet-meadow","tag-wildflowers"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/sandhill-crane-flowers-mia-mcpherson-5322.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-6Df","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":65625,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/02\/26\/my-first-of-year-sandhill-crane-sightings\/","url_meta":{"origin":25497,"position":0},"title":"My First Of Year Sandhill Crane Sightings","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 26, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I was delighted to hear the Sandhill Cranes calling yesterday. Their bugling calls touch me and remind me that I am every bit a part of nature as the cranes are.","rel":"","context":"In "Beaverhead County"","block_context":{"text":"Beaverhead County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/montana\/beaverhead-county-montana\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sandhill Crane and wildflowers, Centennial Valley, Beaverhead County, Montana","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/sandhill-crane-wildflowers-wet-meadow-mia-mcpherson-5317.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/sandhill-crane-wildflowers-wet-meadow-mia-mcpherson-5317.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/sandhill-crane-wildflowers-wet-meadow-mia-mcpherson-5317.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/sandhill-crane-wildflowers-wet-meadow-mia-mcpherson-5317.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8104,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/04\/14\/i-have-montanas-birds-on-my-mind\/","url_meta":{"origin":25497,"position":1},"title":"I Have Montana’s Birds On My Mind","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 14, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"This time of the year I start dreaming about the Centennial Valley of Montana and of the birds that call the valley home during the summer.","rel":"","context":"In "Beaverhead County"","block_context":{"text":"Beaverhead County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/montana\/beaverhead-county-montana\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Centennial Valley Red-tailed Hawk juvenile, Beaverhead County, Montana","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/red-tailed-hawk-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-8431.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/red-tailed-hawk-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-8431.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/red-tailed-hawk-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-8431.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/red-tailed-hawk-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-8431.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15842,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/09\/16\/a-pair-of-sandhill-cranes-in-the-centennial-valley\/","url_meta":{"origin":25497,"position":2},"title":"Pair of Sandhill Cranes in the Centennial Valley","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 16, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I was delighted to find quite a few Sandhill Cranes in the Centennial Valley of Montana last week and this pair was close enough to photograph.","rel":"","context":"In "Beaverhead County"","block_context":{"text":"Beaverhead County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/montana\/beaverhead-county-montana\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Mated pair of Sandhill Cranes at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Montana","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/sandhill-crane-pair-mia-mcpherson-6125.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/sandhill-crane-pair-mia-mcpherson-6125.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/sandhill-crane-pair-mia-mcpherson-6125.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/sandhill-crane-pair-mia-mcpherson-6125.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":19197,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/01\/29\/dreaming-of-sandhill-cranes\/","url_meta":{"origin":25497,"position":3},"title":"Dreaming of Sandhill Cranes","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 29, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Last night I only had dreams about Sandhill Cranes but it won't be long before I will be seeing and hearing them for real. I can barely wait.","rel":"","context":"In "Beaverhead County"","block_context":{"text":"Beaverhead County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/montana\/beaverhead-county-montana\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Calling male Sandhill Crane, Beaverhead County, Montana","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/sandhill-crane-calling-mia-mcpherson-6147.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/sandhill-crane-calling-mia-mcpherson-6147.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/sandhill-crane-calling-mia-mcpherson-6147.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/sandhill-crane-calling-mia-mcpherson-6147.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 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Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/sandhill-cranes-flight-bicknell-mia-mcpherson-6669.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/sandhill-cranes-flight-bicknell-mia-mcpherson-6669.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/sandhill-cranes-flight-bicknell-mia-mcpherson-6669.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/sandhill-cranes-flight-bicknell-mia-mcpherson-6669.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9591,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/09\/26\/stained-and-unstained-sandhill-cranes\/","url_meta":{"origin":25497,"position":5},"title":"Stained and Unstained Sandhill Cranes","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 26, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"A few days ago I saw quite a few Sandhill Cranes starting at just past the Visitors Center for Bear River National Wildlife Refuge, in one of the farmer's fields I saw 11 of them feeding in the freshly tilled soil.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Unstained adult Sandhill Crane at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/sandhill-crane-adult-autumn-mia-mcpherson-7656.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/sandhill-crane-adult-autumn-mia-mcpherson-7656.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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