On Saturday October 22, Cristin and I drove to Crex Meadows Wildlife Area near Grantsburg, Wisconsin, about 70 miles from the Twin Cities, to check out the sandhill cranes, which are at peak numbers this time of year. I have been to Crex many times and this trip was by far the best ever. The cranes spend the evenings in the refugee, fly out in the morning to feed in nearby farm fields, and return en mass around sunset. The Refuge is an area within Crex Meadows in which no access is provided or allowed. The best viewing is on the roads that surround the Refuge. We arrived about 5PM, drove around the refugee, and realized the south perimeter along Main Dike Road provided the best viewing. Many others were there to witness this natural wonder under clear skies and temperatures falling from the 50's. We saw thousands and thousands of cranes, arriving in endless waves in flocks of various numbers - from 2-3 to 50-100. The call of the sandhill crane is a unique chortle and once heard, is never forgotten. 
Click below for more pictures. The skies were filled with cranes; the black spots of various sizes are cranes at various distances. Click on pictures to enlarge.
