The Other Day...

...I was at James 'Pate' Phillips State Park for a Commission meeting. Afterwards, I took my binoculars in hand and went for a walk on the trails. As I walked over the bridge, I saw 6 Northern Flickers feeding on the ground. They each in turn flew up and out of sight as I passed.
After a while, Dr. Carl Strang came out and chatted with me about the park and how some of the improvements there were coming along. Then we heard that unmistakable sound. Flying toward us were 26 Sandhill Cranes. In less that a half an hour I counted 203 of them migrating north. I am not much of a birder, but I was still impressed. You have to love a staff that can arrange a show flight of cranes on short notice.