{"id":81705,"date":"2021-03-18T06:06:47","date_gmt":"2021-03-18T12:06:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=81705"},"modified":"2024-12-22T04:58:47","modified_gmt":"2024-12-22T10:58:47","slug":"sandhill-cranes-on-spring-migration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/03\/18\/sandhill-cranes-on-spring-migration\/","title":{"rendered":"Sandhill Cranes On Spring Migration"},"content":{"rendered":"

I spent a few minutes photographing Sandhill Cranes twice yesterday, once not long after sunrise and then later in the morning. I was way up in northern Utah not long after the sun had risen over the Wasatch Mountains in the east when I first found the cranes in a farmer’s field. I forgot to count how many Sandhill Cranes there were but I’d estimate that there were 8 to 10 in the field.<\/p>\n

\"GreaterGreater and Lesser Sandhill Cranes in a field \u2013 Nikon D500, f6.3, 1\/5000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

For the first time I believe I photographed Lesser and Greater Sandhill Cranes together as shown in this photo. Note how the crane in the foreground is substantially smaller than the crane behind it and how the length of the legs is quite different. This is more of a difference than I would expect to see than the difference in size between male and female Sandhill Cranes side by side. I noticed that there were two smaller Sandhill Cranes in this small group but didn’t take photos of the second bird.<\/p>\n

I don’t have any proof that these two cranes are a mated pair. Just because they were walking in a field together that doesn’t mean that they are a pair any more than seeing a Clark’s Grebe swimming in the same water as a Western Grebe would mean that they are mates. I’d need more proof and information than that to make that kind of assumption.<\/p>\n

If I am incorrect about the smaller Sandhill being a Lesser please don’t hesitate to correct me. I learn from corrections.<\/p>\n

\"ForagingForaging Sandhill Cranes in a farmer’s field \u2013 Nikon D500, f6.3, 1\/5000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The Sandhill Cranes were busy foraging in a farmer’s field to the east of the road that I was on. At this time of year I wondered what it was that they were feeding on but never saw food in the bills of the cranes.<\/p>\n

I’m also not sure whether these cranes are going to stay in the area. It is spring migration and there is a possibility that they may have simply stopped to refuel on their way north. I’ve photographed cranes and other birds in this area for years and this is the first time I have noticed this many Sandhill Cranes gathered together in this location.<\/p>\n

\"TwoTwo adult Sandhill Cranes in a field in spring \u2013 Nikon D500, f6.3, 1\/5000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I do know that I will be keeping an eye out for these cranes the next time I head up to this area.<\/p>\n

The first three images I have shared were taken at around 10:40 am and the light was getting a bit harsh by that time of the morning.<\/p>\n

\"SideSide lit Sandhill Crane \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/800, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I though I would also include one of the photos that I took earlier in the morning because I loved the golden tones of the light plus how the crane is side lit.<\/p>\n

Sandhill Cranes are beautiful birds.<\/p>\n

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

Mia<\/p>\n

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 spent a few minutes photographing Sandhill Cranes twice yesterday, once not long after sunrise and then later in the morning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":138074,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,1148,450,26],"tags":[4004,4259,3823,3132,1124,11150,4588,11151,4518,4342,4387,165,6397],"class_list":["post-81705","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-sandhill-cranes","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-antigone-canadensis","tag-crane","tag-cranes","tag-field","tag-greater","tag-gruiformes","tag-lesser","tag-sandhill-crane","tag-side-lit","tag-sidelit","tag-spring","tag-spring-migration"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/sandhill-cranes-in-field-mia-mcpherson-9850.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-lfP","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":115246,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/08\/18\/kamas-valley-sandhill-crane-photos\/","url_meta":{"origin":81705,"position":0},"title":"Kamas Valley Sandhill Crane Photos","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 18, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday, on the way to the Uinta Mountains, April Olson and I looked for birds in the Kamas Valley. That's where I took these Sandhill Crane photos.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult Sandhill Crane in grassy field in Kamas Valley, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/sandhill-crane-kamas-mia-mcpherson-8104.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/sandhill-crane-kamas-mia-mcpherson-8104.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/sandhill-crane-kamas-mia-mcpherson-8104.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/sandhill-crane-kamas-mia-mcpherson-8104.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":111112,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/03\/13\/communing-with-sandhill-cranes\/","url_meta":{"origin":81705,"position":1},"title":"Communing With Sandhill Cranes","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 13, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"I've been thinking a lot about Sandhill Cranes recently so I am going back in time to nine years ago today when I photographed them in Wayne County, Utah.","rel":"","context":"In "Bicknell Bottoms Wildlife Management Area"","block_context":{"text":"Bicknell Bottoms Wildlife Management Area","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bicknell-bottoms-wildlife-management-area\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sandhill Cranes dancing in a farmer's field, Bicknell Bottoms, Wayne County, 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Valley","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 17, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"On this day two years ago, April Olson rode with me to the Kamas Valley of Utah, where we photographed a flock of Sandhill Cranes getting ready for fall migration.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Kamas Valley Sandhill Cranes getting ready for migration, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/sandhill-cranes-pre-migration-kamas-mia-mcpherson-8053.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/sandhill-cranes-pre-migration-kamas-mia-mcpherson-8053.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/sandhill-cranes-pre-migration-kamas-mia-mcpherson-8053.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/sandhill-cranes-pre-migration-kamas-mia-mcpherson-8053.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":80115,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/03\/02\/ten-sandhill-cranes-at-bear-river-mbr\/","url_meta":{"origin":81705,"position":3},"title":"Ten Sandhill Cranes At Bear River MBR","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 2, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"It was the highlight of my morning to find, observe, listen to, and photograph ten Sandhill Cranes at Bear River MBR yesterday.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird 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Since the cranes are there they might be at other Utah locations too.","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":"Sandhill Crane calling in flight with snowy mountains behind it, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/sandhill-crane-spring-flight-mia-mcpherson-0109.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/sandhill-crane-spring-flight-mia-mcpherson-0109.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/sandhill-crane-spring-flight-mia-mcpherson-0109.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/sandhill-crane-spring-flight-mia-mcpherson-0109.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":51228,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/03\/12\/sandhill-cranes-in-flight-during-spring-migration\/","url_meta":{"origin":81705,"position":5},"title":"Sandhill Cranes In Flight During Spring Migration","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 12, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The last couple of times I have gone to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and further north of there I have been so happy to hear and see, even if from a long distance, the return of our Sandhill Cranes.","rel":"","context":"In "Bicknell Bottoms Wildlife Management Area"","block_context":{"text":"Bicknell Bottoms Wildlife Management Area","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bicknell-bottoms-wildlife-management-area\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pair of Sandhill Cranes in flight during spring migration, Bicknell Bottoms Wildlife Management Area, Wayne County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/sandhill-cranes-pair-flight-mia-mcpherson-6276.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/sandhill-cranes-pair-flight-mia-mcpherson-6276.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/sandhill-cranes-pair-flight-mia-mcpherson-6276.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/sandhill-cranes-pair-flight-mia-mcpherson-6276.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81705","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81705"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81705\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/138074"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81705"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81705"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81705"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}