Arrival of the Cranes

Suddenly they are here. Cranes, arriving from the north. Thousands. By day they gather in the fields. Feeding, calling, conversing. Striking scenes of calm – yet full of motion. In the evening, though, it turns magical. As the sun sinks, they join together. Flying in formation low over our Landloft, their calls echoing across the rooftops, a living river of wings and voices. Then they disappear towards the ponds, to their roosting sites. There they rest until the morning calls them out once more. For weeks this spectacle remains. From September through into November. A coming and going, a wheeling and gathering, until the journey carries them further. And whoever is here, whoever simply stands quietly and looks up, will never forget this sight.