Observers: Sondra Grimm and Miko Ruhlen
Email: mruhlen@prbo.org
Remote Name: 64.63.203.183
Date: 05/20/03
Time: 11:29:59 AM
We saw a Sandhill Crane while doing a Snowy Plover survey of the southern Cottonwood Marsh area. It was well south of the cottonwood drainage where it meets the shore near a large flock of gulls. We identified it as an adult by the red patch on the forehead above the bill, whitish under the bill, light grey head and neck and grayish brown body with long floppy ostrich like tail feathers. It had some reddish brown staining on the chest and gray legs. Later in the day around 10:30 am when leaving from the northern cottonwood area onto 395 we thought we may have seen it soaring overhead above the highway. We also heard it made the rattle vocalization it makes.