Return Winter in the Central Valley may seem cold, damp and foggy to you, but thousands of sandhill cranes feel right at home in the valley's grasslands and marshes. This magnificent bird offers awesome viewing experiences, whether it is feeding on grains, loafing or flying to an evening roost. The sight and sound of a flock of these gargling journeyers gracefully descending into a sunset-lit field makes for a lifetime memory.
Cranes have a remarkable ability to find each other through vocalizing.
Even in large flocks, lost family members re-unite after making their trilled cry. Cranes also exhibit many distinct postures, from dancing and tossing sticks in courtship to bowing their red-crowned heads in aggression to stretching out their neck to signal that people are too close. It takes a patient and sharp eye to discern the difference between greater and lesser sandhill cranes. They have a similar body shape, plumage and color. The greater is five feet tall, with a five-inch bill.