Sandhill Crane

A knowledgeable birding friend tipped me off to the sighting of a Sandhill Crane in Huntingtown, which is roughly half-way down the county. I decided to go to the area where it had been sighted and see if I could spot it. I cruised by a couple of places where it had been seen having large agricultural fields looking for a large bird, but failed to see it.

I had to turn around, so I decided to also check the yards of houses along the route since a couple of the sitings were on the lawns of nearby homes. As I passed one house, I thought to myself, "Look at that, the crane has been in the area so long, someone put out a lawn ornament." Then I realized it was the real deal. (I can't believe how dumb I can be sometimes, but the thing wasn't moving at all.)

To sucker me in even more, it was standing on this little hummock that rose up about three or four feet above the rest of the lawn in the side yard of a home right by the road. So, I found a (not very safe) place to park the car and readied the camera. The crane wasn't all that wary, so I was able to approach fairly close without agitating it. I moved to a bank on the opposite side of the road and took these photos of the crane preening.  Feather care is something all birds spend a lot of time on, but it can drive you nuts because it can go on for an hour, two hours... ZZZzzzz

This is a big bird, roughly the size of a Great Blue Heron with a six-foot wingspan. They can weigh up to thirteen pounds and this one looked like it was probably in that vicinity. Sandhills nest in the far north and large numbers migrate through the Midwest, many spending the winter in Texas. It apparently isn't all that rare to see vagrants on the east coast. This is, in all likelihood, the same Sandhill that had been seen right in Dunkirk (where I live) back in September.

The crane stayed in the yard where I spotted it for only about fifteen minutes after I arrived.  A woman stopped her car to talk to me about seeing the bird and, while we were talking, it took off and flew away.  I can't tell you how many times it has happened where someone distracts me with conversation at a crucial moment.  I was able to take the flight shot at the top while still talking to the lady before it flew away. It appeared to be heading in the direction of another location mentioned by other people who had seen it, so I got in the car and headed over there.

After arriving at the other location, I parked and got out, checking the lawns of the houses in the area.  I didn't see the Sandhill anywhere and was turning to leave when I spotted it in the back yard of one of the houses. All the shots I took were from the side of the road; I didn't trespass on any one's property. Tip: I don't recommend you do that unless you ask permission of the land owner.  Tip: Make sure cars passing by see you.

The crane seemed perfectly content to forage on the lawn. With recent rains, the earth is pretty soft and it could bury it's bill right up to it's eyeballs in the ground.  It appeared to be eating earthworms from the lawn. It stayed on this lawn for a good hour before moseying over to another neighbor's lawn.

I'll post more pictures over the next few days since it is such a rarity to see one in this area.