Sandhill Cranes fly to the southwest as the sun sinks into the horizon on the last day of summer 2020. The smoke from distant fires continues to create conditions for brilliant sunsets here in northern Illinois as well as for many other locales. Autumn starts around 8:30 am (central time) on Tuesday, September 22nd, and so it begins.

A little Sandhill Crane colt is on the move trying to catch up with its sibling and parents. Look at those tiny dinosaur feet!

Hello my old friend! Sandhill Cranes have one of the longest fossil histories of any currently existing bird. The oldest unequivocal sandhill crane fossil is 2.5 million years old, older by half than the earliest remains of most living species of birds, primarily found from after the Pliocene/Pleistocene boundary some 1.8 million years ago. (source: Wikipedia?"

A Sandhill Crane colt works on its worm snack while its sibling looks on and says, "You gonna eat all of that?"

Wait for me! A Sandhill Crane colt spreads its little wings out while running to catch up with its parent. Look at those little dinosaur feet!

Crane versus Duck. A sandhill crane family with little colts were sharing some land with a mallard couple while foraging this spring, for a while that is. The drake got just a little too close to the colts and the crane spread its over six feet of wings and lunged at the drake. The mallard flew off in a hissy and rejoined its mate. Crane wins.