The first requirement of successful rail watching is learning to identify suitable habitat. The sora, especially on migration and in winter, frequents small marshes, heavily vegetated ponds, and even grassy ditches. Simply walking the edges of such areas in April or September, or in more southerly areas at any time in the winter, can turn […]
In recent years there has been a program to create a non-migratory flock in Florida, and efforts are underway to establish a breeding population in the western Great Lakes Region. The call, a deep, trumpet-like ker-loo, can be heard for more than a mile. They breed on prairies with ponds and wetlands and winter in coastal
The sandhill crane is a tall, mostly gray bird with a red patch on the head and a white patch on each cheek. Sandhill cranes range from 42 to 46 inches in length. In flight, sandhills show both a long neck and long legs. Young sandhills lack the red crown, and in summer many adults
The roseate spoonbill is hard to confuse with anything else. Its rose pink coloration is stunning, and its spoon-shaped bill is unlike that of any other North American bird. Young birds are light pink, attaining the more intense adult colors by their third year. An upclose look at its massive bill, bald head, and red
