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The
Sandhill Crane, Grus canadensis, is the most abundant of the
world's 12 species of cranes. It is widely distributed across
North America, extending into northeastern Siberia and Cuba.
Sandhill Cranes are omnivorous residents of fresh water wetlands. A Miocene crane fossil, thought to be about ten million years old, was found in Nebraska and is structurally identical to the modern Sandhill crane, making it the oldest known bird species still surviving!
This group is in the air above the Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area south of Wilcox, Arizona,
and north of Bisbee in the Sulphur
Springs Valley. Each year from October through February thousands
of Sandhills winter in the Valley.
The
poem is used with the permission of Michael Gregory, a friend and fellow
environmentalist, one of the people who has led the fight to preserve
the natural areas of Southeastern Arizona. Income from this image is
shared with Michael.
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