On Ancient Wings: The Sandhill Cranes of North America

Rising from sandbars on the Platte River with clarion calls, the sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) feels the urgency of spring migration. Elegant, noble, and spiritual, the sandhill crane is one of the most ancient of all birds. More than a half-million strong, flying in squadrons, these majestic creatures point northward to their Arctic and sub-Arctic breeding ranges. Theirs is an epic story of endurance through the ages. With stunningly beautiful photographs, On Ancient Wings presents sandhill cranes in their wild but increasingly compromised habitats today. Over the course of five years, Michael Forsberg documented the tall gray birds in habitats ranging from the Alaskan tundra, to the arid High Plains, from Cuban nature preserves to suburban backyards. With an eye for beauty and an uncommon persistence, the author documents the cranes’ challenges to adapt and survive in a rapidly changing natural world. Forsberg argues that humankind, for its own sake, should secure the cranes’ place in the future. On Ancient Wings intertwines the lives of cranes, people, and their common places to tell an ancient story at a time when sandhill cranes and their wetland and grassland habitats face daunting prospects. Michael Forsberg is a professional photographer whose work has been published worldwide and has won awards in the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year and Pictures of the Year competitions. His fine-art photographic prints can be found in private and public collections throughout thee world. He lives in Lincoln, Nebraska. George Archibald is a co-founder of the International Crane Foundation and is considered the world’s leading authority on cranes. James Harris is the president of the International Crane Foundation.