Cranes forage after arriving in Sweden

by Miriam van Dun

The crane migration takes place every year, and in spring they fly from the south to the north. It is a spectacular journey they undertake together, trumpeting loudly as they go. Anyone who has ever seen and heard such a'flight of cranes knows just how impressive it is.
This photo shows a group of cranes that have just arrived at the nature reserve by Lake Hornborgasjön. After a long journey, they are extremely hungry. Unfortunately for the farmers, this is also sowing season, and the cranes are mad about the crops. And at Hornborgasjön, they’ve come up with a brilliant solution to this. The farmers receive a grant to feed the cranes by the lake. This means the cranes gather at this spot rather than landing on the farmers’ fields. This benefits both the farmers and the cranes. How does this work in z'?
Every day during the migration, experienced bird counters are on hand to count how many cranes arrive. They calculate how much feed will be needed. From a storage point, a tractor drives along the southern shore of the lake and scatters the grain there. The farmers take turns doing this, thereby protecting their young crops.
Here you can see the hungry cranes happily foraging at Lake Hornborgasjön, after a long migration across Europe.