FreeLists / birdky / [birdky] RPT: Ohio River at Louisville and crane observation

["Brainard Palmer-Ball, Jr." <brainard@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I had an opportunity to visit the Ohio River at Louisville briefly today.
Not a whole lot of activity, although the local Canvasbacks have returned
for the winter and there are still a good number of gulls in the vicinity
of the Falls of the Ohio -- mostly Ring-billed's of course, but only about
25 Bonys and a couple of Herring Gulls.  Otherwise the most interesting
things I saw were a couple of Horned Grebes and two male Buffleheads.

Last weekend, I enjoyed the passage of one of those staggered strings of
several hundred Sandhill Cranes as they went over our farm in eastern
Jefferson County.  While watching the group, I noticed that on about one in
every ten I could not see long legs trailing out behind the birds.  At
first I thought the legs must just be dangling below while straight
overhead, but I continued to watch as the birds went past me and never saw
any legs hanging out or behind on these birds.  The only thing I could
imagine was that these individuals had their legs folded up into their
bellies as if sitting on the ground, but I have never noticed this before
and couldn't imagine that they'd be doing it.  This day was Sunday a week
and a half ago when the temps were very cold and the breeze was pretty
stiff, so I suppose it possible that some individuals find migrating more
comfortable in this posture by keeping their legs out of the cold wind, but
I don't think I've ever seen any reference to this behavior.  Has anyone
else ever noticed this in migrating cranes? I can't believe they were doing
it, but I have no other theories given what I thought I saw.

bpb, Louisville
brainard.palmer-ball@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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