Along with rain and leaden skies, winter sees the return of the Common Crane. Both are very welcome to Estremadura. The rains return vitality to a landscape parched by the summer sun, and the Cranes provide an assurance of constancy much needed in these changing times.
Cranes are part of the landscape of the Dehesa throughout the winter months, where they feed on a succession of wild seeds and bulbs, planted cereals, and holm oak acorns. They also forage in stubble of recently harvested cereal crops.
During the breeding season Cranes eat insects, worms, frogs, small mammals and birds etc, but these form a relatively small proportion of their overall winter diet.
The rice harvest in Estramadura coincides with the arrival of the Cranes from their breeding grounds in Scandanavia and Russia, and the stubble provides a perfecr diet for the arriving migrants, and other seed eaters like this flock of sparrows.
Looking for Cranes – 26th October 2025
Along with these four fellows, I am waiting for the mist to clear. I’m hoping the sunshine will encourage the Cranes from their roosting area along the margins of nearby lakes, to begin their daily forage for grain.
I’m down on the rice paddy fields near the small towns of Puebla de Alcollarin and Palazuelo. Much of the harvest is complete, but the machines are still busy in the fields.
The Crane’s call is a loud, resonant trumpeting, and once heard is unmistakable. The art of finding Cranes is first to listen and then to look.
Wonderful sound track of Common Cranes arriving at Reserve d’Arjuzanx, near Bordeaux, France – November 2025. The largest concentration of over wintering Cranes in France. With kind permission from, and thanks to the photographer.
By midday the sun is breaking through and I hear Cranes, and eventually see them flying in. The trick then is to judge where they land, and work out a route along the raised dirt tracks between the fields to see them.
There’s a lot of calling, but I only see the occasional small group coming in. Eventually I come across a group feeding.
Unlike the White Storks and Egrets, Cranes are shy birds, and will fly as soon as they sense your presence. It’s not my intention to scare them for the sake of a photograph, and I do my best to keep my distance.
I’m pleased with the results of the first day.
The second day dawns bright, and I am confident I will see larger groups, and more quickly, but no such luck. One brief sound of calling, and a view of about 12 birds passing over quickly.
By the afternoon there is little evidence of Cranes, but there is plenty else going on – there are large numbers of Little Egrets, Storks, Blackheaded Gulls, and Lapwings in the shallow water, and even sizeable groups of Glossy Ibis. Marsh Harriers and other raptors are there taking advantage of the huge flocks of Sparrows and Starlings
It’s only later, towards the middle of the afternoon, that I finally come across a sizeable group of Cranes. But sadly, to the edge of the group there is a single bird that is clearly unwell. Possibly the first sign of H5N1 (highly pathogenic avian influenza) … more on this later.
But I still haven’t seen any sign of the massive flocks of Cranes that can be a common sight in Estremadura. I have to wait until the end of my third day’s search for this.
What was especially notable about the third day was the acrid atmosphere caused by the smoke from stubble burning – an ancient practice which has been heavily discouraged in recent times, but still continues to some degree in Spain’s rice growing areas of Valencia and Estremadura.
That aside, I spent the day touring my established routes, and seeing small groups of Cranes. Finally, at around 5.00pm, I saw a large flock flying over a row of tall poplars, and shortly after, another followed.
Following their trail I found myself on a narrow track overlooking an open expanse of rice stubble, and there was a large group, well settled into feeding. I counted more than 100 birds, but there were certainly more, as the group was spread along a hollow, and almost certainly many were out of sight.
I couldn’t get closer because a wide irrigation channel ran between the track and the rice fields. Also the space between me and the birds was devoid of cover, and any move closer would have set them flying.
The view I had couldn’t have been better. The sun was sinking and the light was perfect, even though the stubble fires provided a rather ominous backdrop.
I set myself up to wait for them to depart for their roost, as that could have made a spectacular shot. But nothing of the kind. In fact as darkness fell one or two more individuals joined the group. A night flight for them is no problem, but I had to leave.
Cranes tend to feed heavily at the beginning and end of the day, as do many bird species. Dusk is therefore an important feeding time for them1, and it’s not surprising they were content to out-stay me.
The Common Crane – Migration
It was in 2017 in central Spain that we first heard Cranes approaching, and wondered at the vast numbers that came into view, flying high in their loose V formations. Later we saw them while visiting Toledo when we, along with many others, stopped in the street to watch the spectacle.
The Mechanics
Flying in Formation
There’s something quite magical about hearing and seeing these formations. But of course behind the magic is real science, as yet not fully understood, on the significant energy saving gained by one bird flying behind and to the side of another.
The turbulance created by the downbeat of a large wing provides lift to the following bird. Studies have estimated there is anything from a 15% to greater than 30% saving for the following bird.
Birds seem able to judge the optimum position for saving energy, even though in practice it is unlikely they can maintain this with absolute precision. What senses they use is still unclear.2
Also, there is a significant social factor at play. Studies have demonstrated that all birds in a flock seem ready to take a turn at the front, the position that requires greatest effort from an individual bird. The lead bird then drops behind to let another take its place.
Research using a group of hand reared juvenile Bald Ibis following a handglider utilised these turn taking methods. They aren’t being guided by experienced adults, they are using what are obviously innate skills to make these crucial gains … and therein perhaps lies the magic!
The Use of Thermals
A number of birds species, especially large raptors, depend entirely on thermal updrafts during migration. Their large wings give them the lift that enables them to glide long distances with little effort. They then seek the next updraft to soar and glide again.
When compelled to use powered flight, as can be the case when making a sea crossing, they often struggle. They avoid such situations whenever possible, and will make large detours over land to utilise the shortest sea crossing points.
Cranes however, are extremely strong fliers. Indeed the Demoiselle Crane, which is closely related to our Common Crane, crosses the Himalayas during its autumn migration, at times reaching a height of 7,500 metres. It requires exceptional muscle power to climb to such a height and fly in the low oxygen level of such an altitude.
Although Cranes are powerful fliers they will use the lift derived from thermals if and when the occasion arises3. Martin Kelsey describes this exquisitly when watching the departure of Common Cranes from Estremadura:
“I am watching perhaps two hundred individual birds, but still they hold a meta-form. That is until an abrupt and noisy transmutation occurs, the shape disaggregates and the birds, chaotically at first, start spiralling. They have discovered a thermal and the benefits of lift outweigh their momentary halt in progress. Above me the flock, now several hundred metres higher than before, then undergoes a further metamorphosis, regaining its structure and composition, the blather of trumpeting subsides and with a envigourated sense of purpose the group proceeds.” 4
Routes and Times
Broadly speaking, Common Cranes use three flyways to and from their northern breeding grounds – the western flyway from Scandanavia and Finland via Germany and France to Iberia and a few onward to north west Africa; the Baltic Hungarian flyway from western Russia to north Africa via Italy; the east European flyway from central Russia via Turkey to Israel.5
Speed of migration may vary from year to year, but the birds are very site faithful in terms of where they nest, where they over winter, and the routes they use between these two locations, and so are the staging points on their journey.
Having said that, not all Cranes choose to migrate, and some will change their migration behaviour in accordance with prevailing weather conditions. Increasing numbers are reported overwinter at their breeding grounds in Germany. Birds are beginning to overwinter in parts of Hungrey, rather than continuing their journey to North Africa4. And the UK population remains throughout the year … and so in one sense they are site faithful in their breeding and overwintering locations, but they will also adapt to changing environmental conditions, which of course is an optimistic feature in these changing times.
Social and genetic influences
The young of some migratory species, such as the European Cuckoo and the Common Swift, undertake a long and complex migration without the influence and support of their parent birds or other adults of the species.
Overall the basis for migration, its timing, direction, and end points are highly influenced by genetic factors, but in Cranes, geese, and other social birds that migrate, the drive is also heavily influenced by learned experience passed down through the generations6.
Common Cranes migrate in family units, and remain together during the winter. The picture above shows an adult pair, and two young from this year clearly showing rust-coloured heads of juveniles. And while they are territorial when nesting, outside of the breeding season they are very social animals, frequently calling to each other when flying and feeding in order to maintain group cohesion.
Cranes and H5N1 (highly pathogenic avian influenza)
There is so much written and so much to share about these amazing birds, and it is sad to make space for this section. But I feel obliged to because avian bird flue is now part of the Common Crane’s natural history and will be part of the evolution of the species.
On my second day I was watching a group of Cranes feeding, about 100 metres from me, when I suddenly noticed a single bird standing in an irrigation ditch, no more than 10 metres away.
If the bird had been healthy it would have flown as soon as I approached. Almost certainly it was seriously ill. It did eventually fly, taking several uncertain steps before lifting off, and of course it flew towards the feeding group that I was watching – the last place for an infected bird.
I have no evidence I was watching a bird with the flue virus H5N1, but the chances are that it was infected. It was sad to witness the event, but how much more so for the people who have had to deal with the many thousands that have been found dead in Israel7, Germany8 and beyond?
What are the likely outcomes for the Common Crane?
It seems likely the disease will follow a similar course in the Crane as it has in other infected groups. The mortality rate within flocks will be alarmingly high, but in time the species will begin to develop immunity9. They are long lived birds and their conservation status is good. Everything else being equal, depleted numbers will improve and the population will regain its strength.
H5N1 in the meantime will move to yet another species and the vulnerability of that species will be tested.
That is the optimistic prediction. In the meantime those fascinated by these amazing birds will have to witness the harrowing effects taking hold of the flocks over the next few years.
To Finish on a Positive Note: Cranes Return to the UK
After more than 300 years of absence, chance brought a small number of Common Cranes to the UK. During the 1980s and 1990s they occasionlly bred successfully in a number of sites.
2010 saw the start of a major reintroduction programme10. Eggs were collected from Germany and about 100 handreared birds were released on the Somerset RSPB West Sedgemoor Reserve. The UK now has nearly 100 breeding pairs spread across a number of sites. There is no doubt the reintroduction programme contributed significantly to the reestablishment of these extraordinaary birds.
Let us remind ourselves of just how fine they look:
Notes and References:
My thanks to Martin and Claudia Kelsey for their warm hospitality, as always, and the invaluable help in pinpointing likely places to find the Cranes, and the great company of the other guests at Casa Rural El Recuerdo.
- “Factors Influencing Daily Food Intake Pattens in Birds: A Case Study With Wintering Common Cranes” 2013, Luis M. Bautista and Juan Carlos Alonso, The Condor 115(2):330–339. ….. early and late feeding is a general starting point within a complex study that investigates factors affecting feeding rates such as age, levels of dominance within the flock, location etc. ↩︎
- The Aerodynamic Mechanisms of the Formation Flight of Migratory Birds: A Narrative Review, 2024, Fabien Beaumont et al., Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(13), 5402; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14135402 …. there is a considerable amount of literature on this subject. This review article offers an overview of the research to date. ↩︎
- “Cranes Soar on Thermal Updrafts Behind Cold Fronts as They Migrate Across the Sea”, 2024, Sasha Pekarsky, David Shohami, Rauri C.K.Bowie, Nir Horvitz, Pauline L. Kamath, Yuri Markin, Ran Nathan. The Royal Soc. Research Articles. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2023.1243. A detailed research piece that tracks Common Cranes over a 4 year period migrating over sea, and records the fact that they use thermals to soar and glide in the same way as they would over land. The findings are innovative in as far as it has been assumed that no large land birds utilise ocean thermals in any effective and strategic way. The research suggests “… that obligate soarers (e.g. large raptors) avoid sea-crossing not due to the absence or weakness of thermals but due to their low frequency, for which they cannot compensate with prolonged flapping.” ↩︎
- “Heading north-east” 2017, Martin Kelsey
https://www.birdingextremadurablog.com/2017/03/heading-north-east.html ↩︎ - A map and explanation of the routes can be found here:
https://www.kraniche.de/en/crane-migration.html ↩︎ - The complexity of migration, the factors that influence its evolution, and the many aspects of this behaviour that are still not clearly understood, are presented in “Bird Migration” 2010, Ian Newton, published by William Colins. At 648 pages, it is a very comprehensive and well written review of research to date. (I haven’t read is 2024 updated work by Newton, “The Migration Ecology of Birds” (Second edition) published by Academic Press … as yet too expensive to buy!). ↩︎
- Report on the death of more than 8,000 Common Cranes in the Hula valley in Israel in 2021. https://savingcranes.org/news/resources/cranes-and-avian-influenza-update/ ↩︎
- Summary of the outbreak of H5N1 in Germany, as of October 2025: https://beaconbio.org/en/report/?reportid=3dbed1d5-4398-4da5-8b06-8b2c9f1a6f45&eventid=0a0393c4-d899-4b32-8a67-2c192694074d ↩︎
- Scientific evidence of wild bird species developing immunity to avian flue – 2023 report. https://www.livetecsystems.co.uk/wild-seabirds-developing-immunity-to-avian-influenza/ ↩︎
- For the story of Cranes in the UK and the reintroduction programme see “The Great Crane Project” 2023. : https://www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/news/the-great-crane-project ↩︎
For Site Index and Full List of Birds Discussed:
https://woodcockwood.com/site-contents-and-index/