Common Cranes In Israel

As information is coming in about my itinerary to the Hula Valley in Israel, I'm getting more and more excited.  One of my hosts for the trip is Tim Appleton and he sent over some photos of what we could see...looks like Cranemaggedon to me.  Actually the Common Cranes in the above photo remind of the Sandhill Cranes in Kearney, Nebraska.  The last time I went to Nebraska, our group actually saw a lone Common Crane mixed in with a bunch of Sandhills...wouldn't it be funny to see a wayward Sandhill Crane mixed in with thousands of Common Cranes?

Apparently the Hula Valley is host to millions of migrating birds of several species including the Black Storks above.  Should make for some fantastic photos and interesting stories.