<p>
	<img alt="" src="{filedir_5}Sandhill-Cranes.jpg" style="width: 300px; height: 278px; float: right; " />Being in the field so much gives classes the opportunity to have some spectacularly rare and up close encounters with nature. Dr. Ken Petersen and his Ornithology class happened to be in the right place at the right time for this encounter:</p>
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		<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; ">&quot;On one occasion we had literally reached the end of the road (a tree that had blown down in a recent storm was blocking this particular dirt road) and were exploring a beautiful river valley on foot. As we passed a small, open field, one of the students spotted a pair of Sandhill Cranes foraging near the edge of the field. They were about 100 feet from us. They seemed to pay us little mind (very unusual), so we were able to watch them for several minutes. Abruptly one of the cranes lifted it&rsquo;s head and let loose a full-throated call. The other responded. The pair continued to duet like this for a minute or so. Because the location was otherwise peaceful, at our close range the calls were extraordinarily loud. These primal, rattling, bugling calls echoed through the valley. Shortly, another pair of cranes flew over the field. The pair that we had been watching unfolded their wings and lifted themselves off the ground, continuing to call. They gained about 30 feet of altitude, turned, and flew right past our position as if they knew we were already impressed and wanted to deepen the impression. They continued in a slow, wide, upward spiral, calling all the while. Eventually, their flight straightened out and they followed the other pair of cranes over the horizon.&quot;</span></p>
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