I live in Franklin County, (Frankfort) Kentucky. Yesterday morning about 9:25 a.m. I observed six cranes flying overhead (North). There were six of them, black wings and white body, long neck, and very graceful in flight. They were flying in a straight line pattern. Can you tell me what kind of cranes (swans?? possibly) these were?

I felt so excited to observe them, I just heppened to look out the window at that moment, they were out of sight very quickly.

Many thanks, Jean Burgin

I meant the bird on the book

It's possible the birds were stragglers from the Eastern Partnership Whooping Crane flock--the ones that followed the Ultralight their first year to winter in the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge in Florida. I don't know if any of the older birds from there have been wandering this winter, but they do migrate over Kentucky. Other possibilities of long-necked white birds with black on the wings are Snow Goose and, surprisingly, American White Pelican. When Pelicans fly in a flock, they're exquisitely graceful, and depending on your angle, that long beak may give them the appearance of having a long neck. Wood Storks and White Ibis don't normally move around in Kentucky in the middle of winter, but they're two more species that are white with black in the wings. Egrets and swans have pure white wings, so your bird wasn't one of them.

Sometimes even a glorious sighting ends up being "the one that got away" if we didn't see one or two critical details while watching something. Check out all these possibilities in one or two good field guides. You might leap with recognition of YOUR birds, or may not be absolutely certain. That's both the joy and the frustration of learning to identify birds. But every time you go through this process, you get better and knowing what details to look for next time!

I love the bird

Maggie, the bird on the cover is a Cedar Waxwing--and a more beautiful and elegant bird is hard to find!