Sand Hill Surplus

One Sunday in January we headed to Paynes Prairie for a hike. There were a ton of cars there and while the weather was perfect, we have never seen this many people in PP before. We didn't have an answer until partly down La Chua Trail we heard them...

Sand Hill Cranes - thousands of them!Upclose (borrowed from the internet)... In the winter, sandhills migrate from Michigan and Wisconsin to south Georgia and Florida. This is a banner year for sandhills at PP (they estimate 5,000 this year). Why so many? No one has THE answer but lots of speculation including recent drought conditions and unseasonably warm weather.

One of their fave eats is amaranth seeds. Amaranth is an ancient grain, the first to be cultivated as a crop in the New World. Aztecs used amaranth extensively, even in their sacrifice ceremonies.

When the Spanish came along, all things Aztec were forbidden, including growing amaranth. It is making a comeback these days. The grain grows wild on the prairie. This has been a very good year for amaranth; perhaps the sandhill cranes know that and have come to harvest the good stuff. Some sandhills like Paynes Prairie so much they will stay year round but most go back up North.

Perfect place to escape the snow...But be careful of the gators...