Flying Dinosaurs
MAY 1, 2023
I was crossing the boardwalk through the marsh when I heard it - a strange, very loud, rolling bugle. It was familiar, but I couldn't quite place it. I stopped moving, trying to localize the sound (which actually is so penetrating that it can be heard from miles away!) and then the source of the sound emerged from over the tree line - a pair of large, stiffly flying birds. And then the mental image clicked - I was seeing a pair of Sandhill Cranes! While these birds are considered common over much of their range, they are not "regulars" through much of Maine - in fact, one source lists only 12 breeding pairs for the state.
I hurried through the marsh, following the sounds of the birds. When I broke into the open, I saw them circling the water several times, calling to each other the entire way. After a survey of the wetland, the birds headed off to the north. I reflected happily on the experience, being the first time I had seen the birds in Maine. I proceeded to my daily sit spot, hoping they would make another appearance. Little did I know that although I did not see them again that night - they seem to have like what they saw, and have returned every day since.
On the fourth day, I witnessed something incredible which I never expected to see - the ritual mating dance of the Sandhill Crane. These birds are renowned for their dancing skills - and courting pairs have elaborate displays, complete with ballet-like leaps into the air, wing stretching, head pumping, and graceful bows. Sandhill Cranes mate for life - and these are very long lived birds, with the oldest documented bird being over 37 years. Mates will stay together year round - and not just through breeding season. They may spend well over 2 decades of their lives together! Some birds mate as young as two years of age, but others wait until six or seven years before starting a family. Raising young is an intensive process, as the chicks stay by the parents for 9-10 months after hatching.
The dance itself was fascinating to watch. Sometimes one bird danced while the other bird watched. At other times, both birds participated. It almost appeared to be a choreographed routine, with the cranes moving cleanly in tandem, complete with turns and leaps that would make a ballet star jealous. At one point, one of the birds grabbed a mouthful of marsh grass and started waving it at the other bird, tossing water and mud everywhere. The second bird slowly approached, and accepted the offering of grass. I suspect this may be the start of nest building - Sandhill Cranes build their nests from the dominant vegetation, using dried plant material early in the season and adding greens later. They start with a foundation of larger materials - building a nest of 30-40 inches across and 4-6 inches high. Later, they add a cup-shaped hollow lined with smaller stems or twigs. It is not known who chooses the nest site, but the female will usually stand on the mound and arrange the collected material. If you look closely at the photo below, you will see the bird on the right dancing with a soggy mound of grass in it's beak.
Cranes are massive birds, reaching a height of 48 inches (4 feet high!) and with a wingspan of up to 80 inches (6 1/2 feet!). They use this size for protection of their young - leaping up in the air against aerial predators and kicking with their long legs. Terrestrial predators are deterred by showing the massive wingspan and hissing. The predator that ignores this warning will also receive a sharp kick. Sandhill Cranes typically lay 2 eggs, but generally, only 1 chick will survive to hatching - and will stay with the parents through the first winter migration. Chicks can leave the nest at only 8 hours of age, and can even swim! But they remain heavily dependent on their parents over several months to learn life skills. Family units will blend with other families as well as nonbreeding birds during the winter season, forming loose roosting and feeding flocks which can number in the tens of thousands in some staging areas! What an incredible and noisy sight that must be!
I am hoping that this pair finds the food fare in this marsh suitable for their omnivorous tastes -- they prefer shallow marshes in which they can probe for small vertebrates and invertebrates to add to the diet of berries, tubers, seeds, and cultivated grains. They will also happily eat insects, snails, reptiles, amphibians, small mammals, and nestling birds.
The unique sound of these birds is a result of their anatomy - their windpipes are coiled into their sternum which allows them to develop a lower pitch and additional harmonics, contributing to the richness of the tones.
I am looking forward to hearing the sounds of these lovely flying dinosaurs for several months, as I watch them raise a family before flying off to the fall staging areas, remaining wing-in-wing hopefully for decades to come!
So now for the "rest of the story". This blog was written and ready to publish, but as is my habit, I was letting it "rest" for a bit before a final proofreading. In the meantime, I went to check on my friends again -- and THIS NEXT PHOTO is what I saw! I apologize for the quality -- this is a copy and the original is much better - but today, the cranes were MATING. So rather than the "rest of the story", I need to consider this the "beginning of the story"! Stay tuned - and the better original will appear on my Instagram page once it has been downloaded and processed!
And a reminder to all of you -- THE ALEWIVES ARE COMING! THE ALEWIVES ARE COMING! Don't forget to get to the nearest migration site and spend some time not only witnessing the incredible migration of these fish (more on that to come!) but also on the surrounding wildlife!
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