Sarus Cranes

According to Wiki: The Sarus Crane is a large non-migratory crane found in parts of the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia and Australia. The tallest of the flying birds, standing at a height of up to 1.8 meters, they are conspicuous and iconic species of open wetlands.

All of which begs the question, what were these two doing standing outside in a snow-covered field? One of the Sarus cranes is seen making its distinctive call. This YouTube video captures the sound. These calls make these birds the bane of the Forest Park police. The problem with them is that their calls are often misinterpreted for that of a woman screaming and since like roosters they call out in the predawn hours, walkers fearing the worst call the cops and report hearing a women attacked. 

Also, in the wee hours of the morning, at least at select times of the year, usually near the spring ahead or fall back clock changes associated with daylight savings time, the lions can be heard to roar. I guess that the time changes don’t mesh well with these cat’s feeding habits. They can be quite vociferous. At these times, when I’m cruising by the lion’s den on the outer ring bike path, I like to point out to anyone that I pass that I don’t have to be faster than the lions, just faster than them. I find this knowledge comforting.