Ok, so I’m not sure why the Sandhill Crane crossed the road, but my guess on these two hanging out by the highway in Calumet is that they may have their young ones nearby. Debbie Jarve captured these two giant birds recently near the cemetery on M203 and several folks have commented that they were in the area there for at least a few days. Maybe they were just there paying their respects to those at rest there. Either way, until you get closer to these birds, you don’t realize how big they really are and their call is prehistoric sounding and unmistakably theirs alone.

We go from one of the biggest birds, to one of the smallest with a video recorded by Laurie Bashaw on her Ishpeming deck. If you’re volume is turned up, you can hear the rain falling while those hummingbirds are flitting all over the place and you’ll even hear a “squeak” or two from them. Laurie said they’re crazy like this all day long lately. Maybe storing up energy for their departure south in the next few weeks.

I love that video! Jealous that there are so many
hummingbirds in the UP. My grandparents had feeders
in the front and back of their cabin in Copper
Harbor and I really enjoyed watching them. Outside
of Chicago we only get one or two at a time. I have
feeders and lots of hummingbird plants for them to
enjoy.

Those cranes look like a fawns.
And those wings stay dry by
moving several hundred times
per second. It’s no wonder
that they’re hungry.

Those cranes are huge birds. One time, riding to
the Keweenaw on the back roads, a Mom and her Baby
flew out of a ditch. I jumped...lol...that was a
rush.

And hummingbirds just love the rain...That's when
you really saw tons of them...Especially
drizzle...they LOVE it!

The sand hill crane pictures are
so cool. They're all over right
now. So fun seeing them.

That video looks like Laurie's
hummingbirds get along like ours
do, lol. Always chasing the others
away. So cute.

They migrate through here in Colorado in the
spring. They congregate by the hundreds in some
fields. They are all squawking so loud you can’t
carry on a conversation with the person standing
next to you. Once in a while some Whooping Cranes
show up.

Looks like he's craning his neck to watch for oncoming traffic.

I'm Hummming in the Rain, Just Hummming in the Rain

What a glorious feeling, I'm happy again.

I'm laughing at clouds, so dark up above.

The sun's in my heart and I'm ready for love.