I have had an ear tuned to listening for sandhill cranes since I counted over 60 last weekend in the air. At about 2 p.m. I heard their plaintive cries and went racing down the stairs to grab the binoculars, yelled to my husband,"I hear sandhills!" and slopped outside immediately in my slippers.

He had no idea what I was yelling about and running outside for and thought some tragedy had befallen. "What's goin' on?" he yelled back with concern.

It took awhile to explain that I was just counting birds; but hey, I made it to 82 sandhills before the flock was out of counting range! - Pam Dailey-McNeiley