I have several times written about cranes. They are a very strong seasonal sign, if you are lucky to live near their migratory routes. Today it was warmer than in weeks, and I even sat on my balcony in only shorts and shoes. No pictures, I do not want to break the Internet.
Sitting in the sunshine reading, I heard cranes, and managed to spot them. They can be hard to spot as one’s eyes are trying to focus on something that one have not spotted yet. They were maybe a few hundred metres up, the usual altitude around here for longer hauls, I guess. I cannot say for sure, and I have seen cranes at flying at rather different altitudes. Cranes can fly extremely high, up to 10,000 metres. Today the sky was blue and the sun was sometimes reflected in their wings, so I managed to see them after some staring in the direction their calls came from. About 25 in skein formation who made their noises (like a very primitive reed instrument) and sometimes making circles. A bit south they were joined by another herd (the correct name according to this page) of about fifty. Both were circling around and their final joining I could not see since they were out of sight. Less than an hour later another skein flew above southbound, occasionally making circles and calling out. When I lived outside town, I sometimes saw gatherings of hundreds up in the sky.
Autumn is here. I love beautiful autumn days. I hope the trees will keep their leaves on as long as possible. The winter I am looking less forward to.