Sandhill cranes seem to come and go with the beginning and end of each tourist season in Glacier Bay. In the spring, these big birds fly up from the south by the thousands, sometimes very low, but sometimes in skeins so high you can barely see them. Their croaking calls are often heard well before they are seen. The first time that we hear the cranes each spring, we stop whatever we are doing and look up, looking forward to another summer season. When they pass back in the fall heading south, we pause again, ready for winter. Photographer: Sean Neilson