Fryeburg Sandhill Cranes

Our annual field trip to the Fryeburg fields in search of migrating Sandhill Cranes did not disappoint. Participants were greeted by a spectacular sunrise on the drive over and mountains glowing with late fall color.

Though the early scouts found no cranes at first, low rain clouds and a sudden rainbow added to the drama of the morning scene.

At a second field, a distant flock of large birds caught our eyes. As we stepped from our vehicles, the unmistakable rattling bugle calls confirmed it—Sandhill Cranes! Seventy-four birds circled and landed nearby, giving us a half-hour show as they foraged between harvested potato and corn fields.The surrounding fields teemed with wildlife—horned larks, red-winged blackbirds, northern harriers, turkeys, and geese—set against the rainbow-draped mountains. It was a morning to remember.

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(Sandhill crane photo by Gary Inman. Rainbow photo and mountain photo by Holly Johnson.)