Do any of the offspring come back to that general area or just the 2 adults that have always been there.This is a neat story and pics.

I am not an ornithologist, nor do I try to play one on the internet. But, from what I’ve read, the entire family will stay together over the Winter and return to this very spot in our neighborhood in the Spring; at which point the adult pair will kick out last year's offspring and start a new family. Having said this, from our experience over the course of the past 12 years, the offspring of the year have roughly a 50:50 chance of living long enough to migrate south for the Winter. In addition, over these same 12 years I don’t recall more than the 2-bird breeding pair accompanied by last year’s young with them when they’ve arrived back in the Spring.

THINGS CHANGE . . .

Just as the world of golf has changed, so has the modus operendi nesting habits of our neighborhood pair of Sandhills. In years past we'd typically see them parading through the neighborhood showing off that year's brood -- their young, always just a day or two old -- some year's with just one, other year's with two in tow. But, not this year. You see, for their entire typical nesting time -- from approximately mid-April through mid-May and up to the present date they've been AWOL. Nobody saw them. We feared the worst. That was, until today, when the two adult birds brought their ~3-4 week old colts out for a stroll.

. . . WHERE HAVE THEY BEEN?

Here they are today!

...just made my wife's day!

Mated pairs of Sandhill Cranes lead a challenging and often sorrowful life. And so it goes with our neighborhood pair of Sandhills. From our personal experience observed over the past 12 consecutive years, their success ratio of raising their young to the age of them migrating south in the fall to their wintering grounds is less than 50:50. This year's nesting produced two colts, as reported in my last post. But, about 3 weeks ago, one of their babies had gone missing, likely succumbing to one of the sharks existing in their world. So our pair of Sandhills have experienced the sorrow yet again and are now down to just one little one. We're crossing our fingers and hoping junior can make the journey south with its parents this fall.

I m hopeing too that the young one makes it south with it s parents...I feel over the loss of the other young one...charlie

You’re a thoughtful and compassionate man, Charlie. You have shown that time and time again through your posts on the forum.

The way I see it . . . why pay a lawn servicing company good money to come in and aerate your lawn, when you can get 'er done for nuttin'!

Our family of Sandhill Cranes arrived back a week earlier than their norm -- quite expected as we've had one of the mildest Winters on record in terms of temps and snow. This year our neighborhood nesting pair returned on March 9th with a special surprise as it appears they've brought back their offspring from last year. I had mentioned earlier that from what I’ve read, the entire family will usually stay together over the Winter and return to this very spot in our neighborhood in the Spring; at which point the adult pair will kick out last year's offspring and start a new family. Having said this, from our experience over the course of the past 13 years, the offspring of the year have roughly a 50:50 chance of living long enough to migrate south for the Winter. In addition, over these same 13 years I don’t recall more than the 2-bird breeding pair accompanied by last year’s young with them when they’ve arrived back in the Spring. But, as you can see, things are a bit different this year and I expect the young one will be forced out in the near future. It's hard to tell which one is the young one???

Here's a pic of our lawn aeration team in action. They work cheap! :)

That is so cool!

Since their return this Spring the Sandhills have been busy. They've voted last year's colt off the island that had migrated back with them this Spring. They've also successfully nested and now are out for breakfast and showing this year's young the ways of the world.

That is so cool, Greg. Keep us updated on your boarders.

This is so interesting. Do you ever see the young one that has been kicked out of the family group again? If not, I wonder if the fly off in search of a mate?

The paired adult birds allowed last year’s young one to hang around for ~2 weeks after they migrated back together this Spring. But, once the adults were on the nest, that was it for Junior; we haven’t seen him since. You’re probably wondering correctly in that he’s out playing the field in search of his soulmate.

Are they sexually mature at one year of age? Canada Geese aren't

No.

According to the AI website ChatGPT:
"Sandhill Cranes typically reach sexual maturity at around two to seven years of age, with most individuals reaching maturity around two to three years old. However, they may not breed until they are older, usually when they are three to seven years old. Breeding readiness can also be influenced by factors such as habitat quality and population density."

The below pic was taken just moments ago:

In just the past 13 days you can see the baby Sandhills are growing and have been well taken care of by their parents. Worms, night crawlers, grubs, baby grass snakes and a little whole kernal corn have been on the menu.

Nice!! I wish we had some to thin out our locust infestation. :)

There’s been a steady rain for most of the day, the birds are drenched, but the show goes on . . .

The adult pair of Sandhills have done a great job of nurturing their young colts and keeping them safe from the predators lurking in their world. The youngins are now about 3 1/2 months old, mostly feathered out and are nearing full size -- although one is about an inch or two taller than the other. In this pic they've been nibbling on some whole kernal corn, but their main diet that we've observed contains more protein such as grubs, worms, nightcrawlers, small snakes, insects and small animals like chipmunks, voles, mice and an occasional baby bunny rabbit.

Our nesting pair of Sandhills have successfully brought their two offspring through this year's nesting season despite all the challenges, trials and tribulations lurking in their world throughout the Spring and Summer. As we have witnessed through the years, if they're lucky, one or maybe two colts, have about a 50:50 chance of survival and the opportunity of migrating South with their parents for the Winter. We also know that about mid-September is typically when the birds are looking to leave for their staging grounds and join up with hundreds of other Sandhills before migrating on to their big journey South to their Wintering grounds. We look forward to the return of the adult mated pair in the Spring and also for the young birds to return to strike it out on their own.

As you can see, their coloration has changed over the summer. The 1st pic below taken in mid-June they were a brownish fawn color. While the last pics, taken in mid-September they are now grayish silver color.

Great photos—thanks! We saw quite a few on our recent trip to Wisconsin. Good to see so many.

THE SANDHILLS ARE BACK, THE SANDHILLS ARE BACK, THE SANDHILLS ARE BACK!!

About 3 weeks later than their norm, nonetheless; they’re back for the umpteenth time of doing their thing — propagating their species and entertaining the neighborhood. Many things have crossed our minds for their delay in returning . . . could they have been shot, were they victims of the bird flu, did one or both of the mated pair die of old age or it could have been any number of the many challenges lurking in their world.

But, who cares? They’re back!