Sandhill Cranes Presentation with Pinau Merlin

Tohono Chul is hitting the road again and offering two day-long field trips to experience the magic and majesty of the Sandhill Cranes at Whitewater Draw. This PowerPoint presentation before the field trips prepares participants for maximum fun as we delve into the fascinating natural history, habits, and behaviors of the cranes. We’ll discover where the cranes migrate from, courtship, feeding, calls, and most fun – how to interpret crane language and behavior. Once we understand this, we will observe all kinds of activity and what it means, greatly enhancing and enriching our experience and enjoyment of the trip.  Even if you’re not planning to take the trip, you’ll leave this talk enthused, excited, and appreciating Arizona’s rich diversity of wildlife!

More about Pinau Merlin:

Pinau is a nationally known speaker and naturalist and is the author of several books (including the Guide to Desert Holes, Guide to Bird Nests and Eggs, and is a contributing author to the Natural History of the Sonoran Desert) as well as over 80 articles about the wildlife, natural history, and ecology of the Desert Southwest. Pinau taught natural history at the U of A and was the Outreach Coordinator for the UA/USFWS Jaguar Project. She also works on numerous nature documentary films (including BBC, National Geographic, and others) as a natural history consultant and critter wrangler.

Pinau has designed natural history centers, interpretive exhibits, nature trails, and wildlife habitats for a variety of organizations in the Southwest. Her insights and observations about the natural history and wildlife of the Sonoran Desert have been featured on PBS, NPR, and in Smithsonian and National Wildlife magazines, among many others. She is especially interested in the adaptive strategies of plants, birds, and wildlife and in interpreting animal language.