Deep, throaty cadenced calls – sounding like an off-key bassoon – echo over the grasslands, farmers’ fields and wetlands starting in late September of each year. They mark the annual return of sandhill cranes to the Cosumnes River Preserve, 46,000 acres located 20 miles south of Sacramento.

The preserve is home to more than 250 bird species, more than 40 fish species, and 400 plant species. The lesser sandhill crane and greater sandhill crane, protected under the state Endangered Species Act as threatened, winter here by the thousands. The species has stabilized the past two decades thanks to crane-friendly farm practices to enhance fields to serve as important wintering habitat.

The large gray birds – they stand up to 5 feet tall – sport bright red caps and have a wing span of 6 to 7 feet. During the day, they patrol fields to feed, rest and dance (it’s a mating ritual). At dusk, the flock flies into wetland areas for protection from predators, standing in several inches of water as a deterrent.

A growing attraction at the preserve is watching the nightly fly-ins of the cranes. Well before any birds appear, their trumpeted calls, which can be heard up to 2.5 miles away, signal the mass arrival to the selected site. Then, one after another after another, the birds land, squawking and splashing, much to the delight of onlookers gathered to bear witness to the amazing cacophony of nature.

– Susan Lauer

To read more about the preserve and the Cosumnes River, visit Aquapedia.