I spent 3 hours this morning viewing the SANDHILL CRANE family-first from Carncross Rd., then from Morgan Rd. About 1100, I witnessed some really "cool" aggressive behavior from presumably the male, in defense of his family from a perceived human threat (not me).
Anyway, Chuck Gibson dropped by to watch them for a bit, and he mentioned that Frank Morlock, the DEC Wildlife Tech. there had seen another Sandhill Crane family. So in I went to talk to Frank. He showed me where he had recently seen them and said that a friend of his had first spotted them last month. The location was pretty much on my way home. I found 2 ADULT and 2 COLT SANDHILL CRANES in an alfalfa field, Town of Genoa, Cayuga County. They were easily visible to the south from State Route 90 and the south end of E. Venice Rd. Rt. 90 is a busy road, and the shoulders are narrow. I did not attempt to contact the property owner. The 2 colts appear the same size as the Montezuma pair, and are a russet color. The 2 adults, however, still look mostly gray, unlike their Montezuma counterparts. Steve Fast Brooktondale -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
