Sandhill cranes Bosque del Apache                            click to enlarge

There are unsung heroes in the animal world and this squadron of Sandhill cranes on Night Patrol are some of the best and bravest. Every evening as the sun goes down and the main flock settles in for the night, these brave birds take off on a lonely mission to patrol the shorelines around the nesting ponds at Bosque del Apache.

They watch for predators, the ponds are shallow and it would only take one enterprising coyote in hip boots to decimate the flock as it was peacefully sleeping. Those who have fallen asleep in the reeds are monitored closely for smoking as one careless individual with a cigarette could ignite the whole pond causing untold destruction. And of course there are the owls and eagles, those Raptors of the Darkness. Most dangerous of all they’re like the Pawnee in Dances with Wolves, big screaming devils that swoop down out of the sky when they’re least expected and steal young Sandhills who stray too far from their parents, leaving behind only ripples and the occasional blood-flecked feather to mark the passing of the unlucky.

It’s a thankless dangerous job flying at night without lights or instruments for guidance and there is the occasional tragic accident where one of these watchers in the night are lost after hitting the high tension lines near the ponds. When you see that bright orange flash against the coal black sky and hear that soul wrenching squawk you know we’ve lost another one. Some have also become disoriented and flown off into the darkness to wake up in Mexico or alone on the Tundra cold and weary. But they persevere night after night, ignoring the cold, the loneliness, the danger, doing their duty, flying the night skies to protect those below, taking the risks so that the ones at rest can wake to a safer dawn.

Thank you Night Patrol, Thanks IronBeak and RocketButt, Thanks CoyoteSniffer and Blivet, you big lug, Thank you IceBird and DivetMaker for all those crazy landings and thank you all the nameless ones that have gone before you. Thanks for keeping the night safe for the innocents and for being true heroes. We salute you.