Birds Return
Learn:
How do you celebrate the first signs of spring? Many of us look and listen for the return of birds who have migrated to warmer climates during the winter. About a week ago, I spotted the first sandhill cranes of 2022 in a field near our house!
Sandhill cranes are one of the largest birds in North America. Standing almost five feet tall, and with a wingspan of up to seven feet, they’re hard to miss. We often see and hear them soaring in the sky in pairs or in groups of up to 100 cranes!
We have a couple of excellent crane memories in our family. During the Covid-19 shutdown, the cranes that nest in our house became a regular part of our neighborhood. They would often walk down our street and visit each of our yards. It was a welcome sight during those trying months.
We had the luck last year to drive through Kearney, Nebraska during the crane migration. I got up at 6am to see the morning take off at the Platte River. (Video below) It was AMAZING and I feel blessed to have stumbled upon this natural phenomenon.
As a migratory species, they are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. This protects the birds from being killed, their eggs taken, or their nests disturbed.
However, the sandhill crane has done extremely well as a protected species. The population is thought to be over 800,000, and some states do have a sandhilll crane hunting season. In Wisconsin, many have proposed a fall hunt due to the crop damage that comes when cranes eat corn seedlings from agricultural fields. Trials continue to be underway to use chemical deterrents on seeds instead of harming the cranes.
Cranes remain a stunning sight on our landscape. Keep an eye out for them as they return to our summer nesting grounds!
Read:
One of the best natural world authors for kids is Jean Craighead George. Her book, “Luck”, is an excellent introduction to the life cycle of Sandhill cranes.
Do:
One of the best ways to observe cranes - and other birds - this time of year is to go for a hike! Try to get out in the morning or late afternoon when the birds are most active. We often hear them before we see them, so do your best to listen while you hike. Bring along a simple bird guide to help you identify the birds that you see. Or, use an app like Audubon Bird Guide to help you match a bird to its call.