Joel Dinda's photos with the keyword: crane fest

My opinion: The best photos of Sandhills show their awkward landing methods . Unfortunately, at Big Marsh the birds generally land so far from the viewing area that, at best, you get pictures like this , at least with any lens I'm willing to purchase. On Saturday, the birds arrived so late in the day that even that wasn't realistic; things were getting far too dark at ground level for a hand-held capture at any distance. But these overhead pics in the setting sunlight came out just fine.

Since our last visit to the place, Ducks Unlimited has assisted the owners in replacing the dam which controls the water level at Big Marsh Lake. One benefit was the new growth of wild rice (the pale green growth in this photo) in the lake. This is a very shallow lake, by the way; mostly it's two or three feet deep. None of which is particularly related to why I took this photo: It was a beautiful day, and the trees were close to peak colors.

The last of my Crane Fest pics.....

Crane Fest at Kiwanis Youth Area, on Big Marsh Lake, near Bellevue, Michigan. These are the early-arrivals; I took this before 5:00 pm on Saturday, about 90 minutes before the cranes began arriving in force. That doesn't mean there was nothing to see; ducks and geese and cormorants and other birds keep moving around out there, and some of these folks are serious birders. If I'd faced the other way, this photo would show the festival portion of the event, a combination art show and educational effort. And an excellent nature book store. Finally: While there are certainly cranes within this photo's frame, they're too distant to see, even at the original size.

This weekend the Michigan Audubon Society and Battle Creek Kiwanis are hosting Crane Fest at Baker Sanctuary, near Bellevue, Michigan. Thousands of Sandhill Cranes gather at Big Marsh Lake every evening in October. Well worth your evening. What my camera cannot capture is the glorious racket these large birds make. Absolutely incredible. Shot from the Kiwanis Youth Area , which will be open from 4 to 7 every Saturday and Sunday in October. If you can't make the festival, you can still see the spectacle. Go. You'll enjoy!