By Gretchen Millich, WKAR News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-936692.mp3
Jackson, MI – In the fall, sandhill cranes in southern Michigan begin their trip south, but before they leave, they gather in wetlands areas, where they can find food and a protected place to roost. Here, the older birds teach the less experienced cranes the routes and traditions of migration.
One of the best places to see sandhill cranes this time of year is the Haehnle Sanctuary near Jackson.
Every Monday evening in the fall, a group of about a dozen self-described "craniacs" gathers at the Haehnle Sanctuary at sunset to count the sandhill cranes. Each member of the group is assigned a part of the sky to watch for cranes and keep a tally with a handheld counter.
The sanctuary provides the perfect gathering spot. During the day, the cranes can feast in nearby fields on corn, wheat and barley left over from the harvest. As the sun goes down, they seek protection in Mud Lake Marsh.
Sandhill cranes were once nearly extinct in Michigan, but in the past few decades, they've made a dramatic comeback, from about 4,000 in the 1980's to more than 17,000 today. The number of sandhill cranes at Mud Lake Marsh this fall is higher than ever before, with more than 5,000 cranes counted on some evenings.
The flocks come from every direction, gliding gracefully over the marsh, then coming in for a slow, soft landing. Their long legs dip gently into the shallow water. All the while, the birds are calling to each other.
"It's just a way of contacting with other cranes and then once they get out in the marsh, you'll hear more calling, establishing their personal distance out there," says Ron Hoffman. He's the past chairman of the sanctuary, and he's been listening to the call of the sandhill crane for decades. "Not within pecking reach of where I'm standing. You'll also hear the young when they're going over. Once in a while you'll hear this high-pitched beep, beep. Also a contact thing when they're flying over, trying to keep in contact with their parents."
Gary Siegrist is in charge of the count. He's a naturalist at the Dahlem Conservancy in Jackson. Siegrist says to him, the call of the sandhill crane sounds prehistoric...and in fact, it is. sandhill cranes are the oldest living bird species. The family of cranes dates back about 60 million years. Fossil records place sandhill cranes in Nebraska more than nine million years ago.
"You can just imagine what these birds have seen through the eons," says Seigrist. "They've seen the continents split, they've seen glaciers come over the land and retreat. It's truly one of the great sounds of nature in Michigan. Really reminds me of a wilder time."
Sandhill cranes are also good dancers.
"They jump around kind of stiff-legged, jumping up in the air, flapping their wings, picking up sticks, throwing those up in the air," says Hoffman. "We used to think it was a mating dance, but even real little ones have been seen doing that, so maybe they do it because it's fun. It's contagious, so you might see one or two doing this in the field and then you start to see others doing it, too."
The final count is 4,473. For the past several weeks, the counters have also spotted one lone whooping crane -- but tonight, he doesn't make an appearance.
Gary Siegrist says he'll be here counting every Monday until the cranes leave. Usually that's in November, although some cranes do stay into December. Then they take to the sky and fly up to 500 miles a day from southern Michigan to their winter homes in Georgia and Florida.