Glacier
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Lachlan Ohman 
To: [log in to unmask] 
Sent: Friday, November 28, 2008 2:04 PM
Subject: Sandhills by the hundreds


From Bryan, OH; just twenty miles from the very northwest corner of Ohio.    
    At about 1:40 pm today, just a few minutes ago, our puppy started raising a fuss in the kitchen.  I took her outside, thinking she might need to go.  She kept barking and looking toward the sky.  In a few minutes I heard them.  A huge flock, near a hundred, of Sandhill Cranes drifted toward us from the west.  They were circling as one huge, loose circle.  Then another flock approached the first.  These were in formation, apparently headed for the first flock to join in the thermal.  Then another flock came in.  Presently, they were all circling, and climbing.  Still, they were obviously in four or five seperate flocks, but all circling and climbing together.  There had to be around 400 birds all told..  
    Now they were getting noticeably higher, appearing to grow smaller by the minute, as they drifted off and out of sight to the east.
    Boy, what a sight.  I'm an old sailplane pilot and fully appreciate how they were getting together in one big thermal.  Just like in a glider contest.
        Lach Ohman    

PS:  This posting has been delayed by an hour and a half while I had my daily fight with the computer.



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