sandhill cranes

For a few weeks sandhill cranes kept hanging out at my house. Super early in the morning they would sing just outside my open window. Too early, too close to my window, and too loud really. Ok! I'm awake already!




The music is by my friend Jimmy Pardo. If you wanna buy his album, go here:

http://www.reverbnation.com/jimmypardo

Here's the similar china pheasants vid

My cats and dog just came running to the computer when they started calling at the end. I could wake up to them each morning they are so beautiful.

Now that's a cool, but not very user friendly, alarm clock.
But as we are on birds Paul, what's your opinion of Emu? Do you think they could be used, here in the states, in a Permaculture set up? Just wondering. I've had some experience with them. Liked the birds, did not like the greedy, money before everything else guy who got me into them. Not a fun story to remember. The only good thing that came of it was those nasty, dirty, smelly, so ugly they cute birds. Don't have any now but wouldn't mind having a breeding pair IF I had the proper fencing for them. Their meat is tasty. The oil from their fat would feel so good on my achy joints. I could sell the feathers and the hide. . . but I digress. Especially as I don't have and can't afford the 8 to 9 foot fence I'd need all around my place to keep them in! In case you wonder, the meat is red and tastes more like beef than chicken. Good marketing would be : EMU the other RED MEAT!
As for the cranes. Thank goodness they aren't Whooping Cranes! I've heard they are even louder!

How tall are those amazing birds? They look enormous!
Betty, I ate a lot of emu in Australia and it sure is tasty. Aparrently they're really bad-tempered. I'm not so keen on having giant angry birds around who's main defence is gutting predators with their powerful claws
Peacocks are another bird with a full-on noise. The neighbour's birds hang out in my mum's pear tree (I feel a christmas ditty coming on...) screaming "HELP, HELP" like a flock of fainting Victorian ladies.
Apparently they are delicious. "Pear finished peacock" has a nice ring to it...

When i traveled down to Florida to attend a wedding
we had to drive from Palm Coast to another town
further south and we stopped at this rest area for
lunch and a rest,,,,and there were Sand hill cranes there

i was able to feed them right out of my hand
they were so tame...and having never seen them before they
became the highlight of our trip

as to the Video
most excellent!
loved the song
would be great traveling along singing it
or listening except it's a bit lullabye-ish (relaxing)

Liala, I've only had trouble dealing with Emu when I was trying to catch them or otherwise bother them (particularly during mating season). Otherwise they were big, funny looking birds with a lot of curiosity. No one could wear sparkly clothes, most especially ear rings!, into the pen with them as they would try to peck and snatch the sparkely's.
Of course these where all farm raised birds I was dealing with who were used to those shorter stockier pink critters hanging around and bringing them tasty stuff to eat.
That didn't stop them from kicking like the dickens though when I had to get them where they didn't want to go and I had the bruises to prove it. All in all though they are fascinating birds. They are just kinda hard to keep fenced in!

I love them!!

When I was a youngster back in the '50's we saw Whooping Cranes once in a while but eventually there were so few of them left they never passed through the area. I do have a friend in my hometown that raises a few Emus.

Love the music.

Bet the crane is good too:

Oven at 250. Enamel roaster on a rack w/ just a bit of water. Salt and pepper bird. Seal roaster and cook for 4 hours. Fallin off the bone.