Q: I live on a lake in Eustis and have had as many as 7 sandhill cranes in our field together. At this moment, I'm looking out my window, and I see 4 of them. They get out in the field with our sheep and goats and eat right along beside them. Will these birds stay around here for the winter or migrate further down south? How many of the Florida sandhill cranes are still known to exist? -- Monty Boyd

A: You're so lucky, Monty, to have a such a show outside your window. Sandhill cranes are fun to watch.

These big birds -- around 4 feet tall -- do migrate and live in Florida for the winter, but some stay in Florida year-round. As it's now late summer, I'm going to say the ones mooching off your sheep and goats will likely stay in Florida. They may not stay around your lake, but they are likely year-round Florida residents.

Sandhill cranes living in Florida year-round are known as Florida sandhill cranes and, as one sandhill crane source says, there are other subspecies of sandhill cranes. The source also says the number of Florida sandhill cranes is about 5,000.

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