iN PHOTOS: Sandhill cranes land in Kamloops on blustery day

Beautiful sandhill cranes stop to rest in Kamloops and the Okanagan every spring and fall as they migrate between northern breeding grounds and wintering grounds south of the border.

Kamloops photographer Mike Anfield was able to capture unique photos of the birds when they landed in the Knutsford area during a strong wind last week.

The birds look as though they are suspended in the air with their wings spread wide and long legs dangling down.

“Most of the photos were taken as they were landing against a strong wind,” he said. “There was a strong southerly wind blowing them in the wrong direction so they couldn’t carry on with migration.”

Anfield had spotted the flock from a distance. The birds flew off but he waited as they returned to land again.

“It was just patience on my part, they’re shy of humans and hard to photograph,” he said. “I got lucky that day while the wind was blowing. It took me maybe an hour to get that close moving two or three steps at a time.”

The birds are known for their large size, red heads and distinctive vocalizations they make in flight.

They travel in flocks of thousands and will at first appear as tiny specks circling in the sky, then will come in for landings in a noisy, calamitous riot to rest.

The cranes have long migrations upwards of 5,000 kilometres and in favourable conditions can cover 50 km per day and more if there is a tailwind.

Stopover points for migrating Sandhill Cranes through the BC Interior include White Lake Basin in the South Okanagan, Lac Le Jeune and Tranquille Lake in the Kamloops area, and Douglas Lake Plateau near Merritt.