It's the time of year that the Sandhill Cranes come in droves to an area north of Battle Creek, Michigan. We went out last night for the annual migration spectacle. It's hard to get a sense of just how many birds there are, but between 6 and 7 pm you can see hundreds of these "specks" on the horizon on at a time, ultimately resulting in thousands of 4 - 5' tall birds landing in Big Marsh Pond for the night. (Click to enlarge.) 25 October 2009. Bellevue, Michigan.