Wait! Those Aren't Funneling Turkey Vultures, Those Are SANDHILL CRANES!

    

I look up and there far off in the sky are Turkey Vultures kettling!  I run for the camera. 

 I

                                  Courtesy of  www.aerospace.org/
While I do that lets talk about kettling.  Basically kettling is circling up on the updrafts of  warmer air created by warmer terrain, like paved roads for instance or darker colored ground without cooling grass on it.The rising air lifts the birds up on those big wings and they may have to flap now and again but it is downright relaxing compared to all the usual flapping they have to do ordinarily to gain altitude.

I'm back and look through the camera.  HEY!  Wait a minute those aren't Turkey Vultures those are Sandhill Cranes! 

I'd never seen Sandhills kettle but it does makes perfect sense.  No doubt a behavior of many species of wide winged heavy birds. 

Turkey Vultures only weigh a couple of  pounds and kettle whereas a Sandhill male of average weight is 10.1 pounds, and a female is  8.9 pounds so they can really put this behavioral advantage to good use. 

By the way though not pictured above there is a Sandhill Crane way up at the top of the kettling air waiting for everyone else to get closer.  I'm assuming he is the lead bird of the moment.

That makes seven birds in this particular Sandhill flock.

Here are all seven of the Sandhills in their current positions.  The bottom four are heading right.  The one above them is going up steeper and right while the one on the left is in a different position all together.

This may be the only shot in which I managed to get everyone in the picture.

Speaking of pictures, blogger doesn't want to load anymore right now  so we'll continue on tomorrow.

See you then!

Donegal Browne