Windy Landing
The wind was quite blustery out of the north, and I was fascinated by the Sandhill Cranes that would ride the wind to the south with speed and then bank back to the north to land in the field. As they glided back to the north, the wind was so strong that the sandies looked almost stationary as they spread their wings and almost stood upright so they could come in for a soft landing.
Crane Fact
Cranes are opportunistic fliers, relying on thermals and tail winds to carry them along. Thermals are rising columns of warm air, and when southerly winds start to blow in late March and early April along the Platte, you’ll see cranes testing them for flight conditions—so efficiently that they’ve even been seen flying over Mt. Everest (~28,000 feet). (Source: Audubon)
