In Alaska. Capturing sandhill cranes with cannon-net. Measurements, blood samples for disease testing, etc., banding for information on mortality and migration routes. Fun and interesting way to spend the afternoons.





Captured cranes are bagged and hooded while awaiting processing. Notice the cannon net in the background.






After release, many of the birds wouldn't fly off; they wanted a piece of the researchers.

Some of the finest eating in the sky, Jack. Good on you for learning more about the species so folks like us can enjoy

Here's some Texas cranes. A nice mixed bag day and a .410 crane limit

Nice shots, Jack.

I saw a documentary of cranes trying to fly over a pass in the Himalayas , the wind was so bad it showed the whole flock actually being pushed backwards. After a while they had to turn back and rest on a glacier . Later the next day they tried again and that time they were successful.

Nothing like the Himmies. The ultimate , in the biggest, most massive mountain ranges on earth. I've enjoyed videos of seeing them for some time. I bet you would have really enjoyed working in them also.

Thank you for the share.

thanks for posting Jack. Interesting info and pics

Every year wait for the 1 Sept Opener for those birds.
So what year would have that banding been Jack ?

Do those birds come down over the Yukon and down to the masses into Saskatchewan's Quill Lakes Region ?

Cool stuff, Gulo! I have been lucky enough to have witnessed first hand, the huge staging of Sandhill Cranes along the Platte in Nebraska. It is truly a wildlife spectacle worth seeing. Spring numbers were fantastically massive, but the fall is wild too. One fall a long-time pal of mine was passing through that area on a return from a Colorado elk hunt and saw a couple small groups of Whooping Cranes mixed in with the Sandhill Cranes. Cranes are just plain neat critters. I had a colt Sandhill on my front porch yesterday afternoon. I was about 2 feet from the thing. It was gobbling up shelled corn I'd tossed out for it. I have been feeding the darn things for so many years that they actually walk up and stare in the picture window at me when I have yet to toss out the goods for them. They have even pecked at the window at times.

Thanks Jack very interesting pictures and story to go with it !