Sandhill Crane Display Dictionary

Christy Yuncker Happ and George M. Happ are a pair of scientists in Fairbanks, Alaska, who have spent more than a decade closely observing a nesting pair of sandhill cranes.  And for those of us who enjoy crane viewing, they have compiled their research into a beautiful and informative pocket guide, the Sandhill Crane Display Dictionary--What Cranes Say with their Body Language.

More than 50 crane behaviors are illustrated and described in this informative guide, including the sequence of events that occur from the first month of nesting all the way through the parents' training of their young colt to dance, fly, and roost away from territory in preparation for migration.

Do you know what it means when a crane ruffles its feathers?  Or how to tell the difference between a preening ruffle and a ruffle that is intended to display a threat to another crane?  Details of these subtle communication differences are included in this guide, a handy reference designed to heighten your observation skills and increase your understanding and enjoyment of crane viewing.

Dancing is a crane behavior that many are familiar with, but did you also know that cranes train their young chicks to dance with them at an early age?  The guide takes you through a crane dance, naming and illustrating the different postures and explaining the meaning of this behavior in crane communication.  

In addition to its photographic detail, this accordion style dictionary describes eight key things to watch for as you try to understand sandhill crane behavior in the field. Guaranteed to enrich your crane viewing experience, this guide is a winner.  You will want to have it in your pocket the next time you visit a crane breeding or staging area!

For more information about the guide visit Christy Yuncker's Photo Journal.
The Sandhill Crane Display Dictionary is also available at Amazon.

Eastern Bluebirds--Triggering the Swallow Reflex?

This is the second post in a two-post series of images showing a male bluebird feeding his juvenile.

In the previous post you see how persistent the male is in retrieving mealworms that drop from his feeding attempt. And you also see how parent and juvenile can get tangled up in the feeding process. It's also noticeable that the juvenile is not swallowing between feedings, but holding the mealworms in his mouth, making things all the more difficult. In this image series, watch what happens when the male bluebird notices the juvenile's mouth is filled with mealworms.

Yikes! It amazed me that the juvenile did not clamp his mouth shut when the male removed the mealworm--due to no food present in the beak, maybe? But he did clamp it shut when presented with a mealworm! And when I looked at the next to last image, I wondered if this rough collision with the juvenile fuels parent feeding or if it's just something that comes with the territory. It appears to happen fairly frequently.

Clearly, hunting for food is not the only thing that makes feeding juveniles a challenge!

Links and resources:

This is the twelfth post in this series on this bluebird family.  To see all of the posts visit the link, bluebird family.   The most recent post will be first.  Click "older posts" at the bottom of the page to see earlier posts.  You may also enjoy Wishing Upon a Bluebird at Vickie's Sketchbook and my June article for Wild Birds Unlimited, Having Fun with Bluebirds.

For articles leading up to the bluebird family posts, visit my Wild Birds Unlimited articles:

Smitten with Bluebirds and April Celebrations.  

Find instructions for making nest box predator guards by clicking the link.  These guards have worked to keep the 9" arm of a raccoon out and have prevented prowling cat predation, as well as snakes.  A 7-inch depth is recommended.  You may also find a version of these guards at the Wild Birds Unlimited store nearest you.

The "meal worm feeder" you see in my bluebird family blog posts is available through Wild Birds Unlimited.

Eastern Bluebirds--Feeding Juveniles Is Risky Business

The bluebird family juveniles are nearly eight weeks old now.  The male still feeds them and they still beg, but I am also seeing them feed themselves a lot, both from the mealworm feeder and by dropping down from low perches to capture worms and insects on the ground.

The images you see here were taken at 28 days, only ten days after fledging.  I found myself in one of those magical moments where I was in the right place and the male bluebird fed one of the juveniles right in front of me.  Since there are a lot of images, I've broken the series into two posts.  The images tell the story-- dedication, hard work and even risk when it comes to feeding hungry juveniles.  You'll see what I mean as you scroll through the images.  Notice also, that the male bluebird is not about to let any mealworms get away!

Caption anyone?

Makes you wonder what keeps a parent going when feeding a baby can be so hazardous!  And what about that swallow reflex?  The juvenile is holding more than one mealworm in his mouth while waiting for more.  In the next series you'll see what the male bluebird does about that.

Links and resources:

This is the eleventh post in a series on this bluebird family.  To see all of the posts in this series visit the link, bluebird family.   The most recent post will be first.  Click "older posts" at the bottom of the page to see earlier posts.  You may also enjoy Wishing Upon a Bluebird at Vickie's Sketchbook and my June article for Wild Birds Unlimited, Having Fun with Bluebirds.

For articles leading up to the bluebird family posts, visit my Wild Birds Unlimited articles:

Smitten with Bluebirds and April Celebrations.  

Find instructions for making nest box predator guards by clicking the link.  These guards have worked to keep the 9" arm of a raccoon out and have prevented prowling cat predation, as well as snakes.  A 7-inch depth is recommended.  You may also find a version of these guards at the Wild Birds Unlimited store nearest you.

The "meal worm feeder" you see in my bluebird family blog posts is available through Wild Birds Unlimited.

Eastern Bluebirds--Juvenile Comedy and Renesting

I looked out the window before leaving for the office yesterday and paused to watch three chattering juvenile bluebirds visiting the mealworm feeder. It was empty at the time. They've learned how to go into the feeder now and feed themselves, even though they continue to vigorously beg for their parents to feed them also.

It is delightful to walk out the door in the mornings (and sometimes afternoons) and find five bluebirds lined up on a limb chattering in anticipation of mealworms. It is apparent they notice when I open the curtain, the door, and even when my car returns home. If I didn't plan to feed them at that moment, they can easily change my mind. Once the dish is empty, with the exception of the adult female, the family moves on to explore other areas for hunting. The female, however, has remained close to the nestbox lately. In the past three days she has created a beautiful new nest with a pine straw base and a cup and upper layer made from grasses and a few small leaves.

Meanwhile, Dad seems to have taken over much of the feeding and training of the juveniles.

The images below were taken during the family's visit to the mealworm feeder a few mornings ago.  In a comical endeavor to join dad and a sibling on the shepherd's perch, you see one juvenile's awkward efforts to navigate a landing.  The sensible male parent moved over to make room for the new arrival and brother just hung in there until sister finally figured out where she needed to be.  I also believe she is the youngest of the three juveniles.

You can see why the bluebird family guarantees my first smiles of the day!

Links and resources:

This is the tenth post in a series on this bluebird family.  To see all of the posts in this series visit the link, bluebird family.   The most recent post will be first.  You may also enjoy Wishing Upon a Bluebird at Vickie's Sketchbook and my June article for Wild Birds Unlimited, Having Fun with Bluebirds.

For articles leading up to the bluebird family posts, visit my Wild Birds Unlimited articles:
Smitten with Bluebirds and April Celebrations.  

Find instructions for making nest box predator guards by clicking the link.  These guards have worked to keep the 9" arm of a raccoon out and have prevented prowling cat predation, as well as snakes.  A 7-inch depth is recommended.  You may also find a version of these guards at the Wild Birds Unlimited store nearest you.

The "meal worm feeder" you see in my bluebird family blog posts is available through Wild Birds Unlimited.

Upcoming:  A parent attends to the swallow reflex, and bluebirds loving water.  

Hunt Eastern Sandhill Cranes? Why Not Hunt Eastern Bluebirds?

Sound absurd?  Outrageous?  Amazingly enough, it is possible.  

Anyone can request a proposal to hunt any species for any reason in the United States of America, and that proposal would follow the same course of action that sandhill crane hunt proposals have followed in the east.    

To help in understanding the above statement, let's look briefly at the history of this little blue bird that our Nation loves so much.    

A thrush species that prefers open short cropped lawns and fields adjacent to woodlands, the bluebird is a secondary cavity nester that must rely on nesting holes made by other species. Farming practices changed, development increased, and old timber was harvested. Not only did the availability of nesting cavities sharply decline, but the proliferation of the European house sparrow following its introduction in 1851, greatly increased competition for the cavities that remained.  Between the 1920's and 1970's bluebird populations plummeted, a loss that is estimated by some historians to have reached as high as 90%.

It was at this point in history (1934) that this charming, royal blue thrush inspired what is commonly referred to as the "Bluebird Trail" movement, a grass roots effort that spread across the country urging the construction of nest boxes that bluebirds could substitute for natural cavities.  And the effort was successful.  Thousands of bluebird boxes erected across the nation helped offset this decline.  In Tennessee, this effort has resulted in abundance in some areas.  In the Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Tennessee (edited by Charles P. Nicholson, 1997), the occurrence of the Eastern bluebird in the study's records ranked the eighth highest of any species.

Like the Eastern population of greater sandhill cranes, the history of the eastern bluebird offers an inspiring conservation story.  Neither species has ever been declared endangered.  Fortuitous circumstances came together to offer both the bluebird and the eastern sandhill crane protection and recovery.  Like the sandhill crane, the bluebird also receives protection under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.
  
Now let's suppose an enthusiastic hunting group decides they want to hunt bluebirds and they petition a state wildlife management organization to develop a proposal and submit it to the flyway council(s). Would you be outraged?  What equal opportunity would you find to oppose this proposal?  What mechanism do we have that would allow conservationists and biologists, experts in the species ecology of bluebirds, to give input into this decision?

The answer is none of substance.  There is an assumption that this opportunity exists, but in actual practice there is no democratic process included in the approval of hunting proposals, and no requirement that opposing views be considered.  
In the case of the eastern sandhill crane hunt proposals, the flyway councils (Mississippi and Atlantic), made up of state wildlife management personnel, deferred to the states for fair input from those opposed to hunting sandhill cranes.  In their inclusion of the hunting objective in the eastern population management plan, council members ignored the lack of population modeling for the eastern population, the problems found in survey methods, and the fact that the endangered Ohio breeding population would be affected.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) oversees hunting decisions regarding migratory birds, but keep in mind, the oversight given is one of interpreting and upholding laws, and the use of population ecology (numbers only) to determine how a species will be impacted. There is no examination of complex ecological factors in USFWS oversight.

In the case of Tennessee, opposing input was considered and, in January of 2011, the decision to hunt sandhill cranes was delayed for two years.  In the case of Kentucky, on June 3rd, 2011, the Kentucky Wildlife Resources Commission approved a hunt season on sandhill cranes to be held in December of 2011.  There was no "management need" sited in the Kentucky hunting proposal, only a desire for a new hunting opportunity for local hunters.  In this decision, input from the local scientific community and hunting opponents was largely excluded.  So also, recommendations from national sandhill crane experts.

Both of these hunt proposals targeted the same migratory population of sandhill cranes, a population that has been protected from hunting for nearly a century and has only recovered to its current size in the last two decades.  Evidence from research conducted by the International Crane Foundation indicates that hunting this population at the current time could harm important breeding populations, and that population increase estimates are overinflated due to flaws in count methodology.  All of this information is being ignored in a decision-making process that is almost exclusively governed by wildlife management law enforcement personnel and entrenched in an historic pro-hunt ethic, even though the majority of citizens who enjoy wildlife in  the United States fall outside this activity category.  Additionally, many hunters have voiced their opposition to hunting this population of sandhill cranes; their voice is also not represented.    

How frightening is it to consider that the same thing could happen to the eastern bluebird? That it could happen to any of your favorite song birds or another wildlife species that you particularly enjoy. Think it is impossible?  As long as we have the current decision-making system in place, hunting any species is possible, and the decision about whether to hunt or not will be governed by numbers ecology, and will not require a deeper look into other ecological factors, nor invite representation from leading scientific authorities in the community.  This is what we are watching happen to sandhill cranes in the east.

Photo credit:  Charlie Corbeil, Charlie Corbeil Photography

The system we have in place is founded on the hunting ethic that existed over a century ago.  Its original premise is sound; we need law enforcement to manage the laws that protect wildlife and regulate hunting.  However, when that same system brings a pro-hunting bias to the decision-making table and excludes opposing views, we have a problem, especially when the best available science says that hunting is not in the best interest of the species population.

The Endangered Species Act of 1973 recognized wildlife and plants as having "aesthetic, ecological, educational, historical, recreational, and scientific value to the Nation and its people."  To that end, as citizens of this country, we have a mission and a responsibility to conserve wildlife and plant species for future generations.

Serving consumptive special interest groups in the face of information that casts doubts on the welfare of a species population definitely does not fit into this National ethic. Neither does the exclusion of scientific information that would further protect a recovering species.  Now exclude the views of a majority segment of the public---non-consumptive wildlife watchers and hunters who are opposed to the hunting of sandhill cranes---and the efficacy of this decision-making process comes even more glaringly into question.   After all, isn't this country founded on democracy?

What can we do?

First, if you have not already done so, help crane advocates stop Kentucky's hunt proposal from going forward by writing and expressing your opposition to Kentucky's Governor.  Also visit the Kentucky Coalition for Sandhill Cranes' action page to learn more about action needed in Kentucky.

Second, sign the "No Hunting for Sandhill Cranes in East" petition.  This petition addresses the Management Plan for the Eastern Population of Sandhill Cranes and targets the Department of Interior for assistance with revising this plan

Thirdly, and of great importance, contact your state's US legislators and ask for their assistance in resolving the current flaws we are encountering in our wildlife management decision-making.  Our wildlife management organizations need our support, not our opposition.  Advocate for a decision-making system that includes more species science, more representation from the non-consumptive conservation public, and more input from species experts, both locally and nationally.  Only with this kind of decision-making will we succeed in protecting wild species for the enjoyment of all our citizens and future generations.    

Links and Resources:

To read more about the sandhill crane hunting issues on this blog, visit sandhill crane hunting.  
To see a timeline of wildlife conservation history, visit:  Origins of Wildlife Laws and Enforcement.  
And to read more about the joy of having eastern bluebirds around, visit bluebird family.

KY Sandhill Crane Hunt Not Final--Act Now!

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources is planning to implement a hunting season on the eastern population of sandhill cranes in December of this year. The hunt proposal was approved in a June 3rd vote held by the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission.

On Wednesday of next week, June 15th, the regulation will be filed with Kentucky legislators, the next step in the approval process.  Eastern sandhill crane advocates are asking that everyone opposed to the hunting of the eastern population of sandhill cranes send letters to Governor Steve Beshere prior to June 15 requesting that he withdraw the plan.   It will be beneficial to also copy your letter to the Secretary of the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, Marcheta Sparrow.  (email links provided below)

Even if you are not a resident of the state of Kentucky, your voice in opposition to this hunt is important.  The eastern population of greater sandhill cranes has only recently recovered from the brink of extinction in the 1930's and has now been protected for nearly 100 years.  There is no "wildlife management" reason for this hunt.  If it goes forward, it will serve a small number of hunters who desire a new hunting opportunity.  On the other hand, population modeling for the eastern population does not currently exist, and harm to the population can result.

Please join us in voicing your opposition to this hunting season.  We are hunters and non-hunters who value sandhill cranes for their majesty, as watchable wildlife, and as ambassadors for successful conservation efforts.

Please visit the Kentucky Sandhill Crane Coalitions Call to Action page for more details about the Kentucky legislative committee and the schedule of events for this hunt proposal.

For the history of the sandhill crane hunt issue in the east, visit Sandhill Crane Hunting on this blog.

Eastern Bluebirds--Juvenile Trouble

The brightly colored gape and gape reflex of a hatchling is known to stimulate the feeding response in parent birds.  But besides movement and hunger, what factors influence the gape reflex in the young bird?

I suspect the stimuli changes somewhat from the nestling to the fledgling stage, but observation would have us think that gaping post-fledging occurs in response to hunger, food, and the sight of the parent, the familiar care-giver that juvenile birds recognize and follow in the days following fledging.  The juvenile pictured in this post is ten days post-fledging or 28 days old, able to recognize and locate his parents and strong enough to follow them and fly to them when they bring food.     

As I was watching the quiet scene below, a funny thing happened.   

Above you see the male blue bird on the right, and his off-spring on the far left, sitting on a dead limb that hangs from a large oak tree in the yard.  This is a favorite perch of the bluebird parents, the neighboring phoebes, and occasionally robins.  In particular on this morning, one robin female frequently paused in this area before approaching her nest with food.   

When she landed, the bluebird juvenile pictured below, who was sitting alone at the time, froze into the posture shown.  This seemed reasonable, given the relative size of the robin and her closeness.  What followed was unexpected.  

Apparently the sight of the food in the robin's mouth was too much for the juvenile to resist and he flew to the robin.  The robin flew up from her perch in protest, and the male bluebird quickly intervened, sending the juvenile back to his perch and the robin on her way to accomplish her mission.  

In the image below, you see a second incident that followed shortly after.  Again, the robin landed for a moment before approaching her nest.  The juvenile was resting on the same perch.  This time the juvenile gaped.  But lesson learned, in part at least, he did not attempt to approach the robin.

Watching this scene certainly reinforced my awareness of how much trouble a naive juvenile can get into.  Though the three bluebird juveniles improve their flight skills daily, they remain inexperienced in navigating their larger world, and for a while yet, they will continue to need protection, feeding and guidance from their parents.

Links and resources:

This is the ninth post in a series on this bluebird family.  To see all of the posts in this series visit the link, bluebird family.   The most recent post will be first.  You may also enjoy my June article for Wild Birds Unlimited, Having Fun with Bluebirds.

For articles leading up to the bluebird family posts, visit my Wild Birds Unlimited articles:  Smitten with Bluebirds and April Celebrations.  

Find instructions for making nest box predator guards by clicking the link.  These guards have worked to keep the 9" arm of a raccoon out and have prevented prowling cat predation, as well as snakes.  A 7-inch depth is recommended.  You may also find a version of these guards at the Wild Birds Unlimited store nearest you.

The "meal worm feeder" you see in my bluebird family blog posts is available through Wild Birds Unlimited.

Upcoming:  A very attentive parent, bluebirds loving water, and juveniles at the feeder...(sweet!)

Eastern Bluebirds--Whistling, Wing Waving and Mealworms

I didn't know what I was getting into and that may be a good thing.

I expected to love having bluebird neighbors and that I had lots to learn about being a nestbox landlord, but even with my previous experience living near bluebirds, I had no idea how compelling this kind of close observation would be. Bluebirds are endearing, endearing enough, in fact, to convince me to bring home 5000 mealworms!

People who know me, know that I am not a 'buggy person'.  I'm a behavioralist, a patient observer and mostly content just watching what's happens in nature.  I don't recall ever even touching an earthworm or a frog,  I don't have the 'eeeewww' reaction to the aforementioned, but I do have that reaction to other things, like mealworms, especially when there are hundreds of them in a wiggling pile.  Add to that, the consideration of getting them out of a mesh bag and into a container that's more appropriate for the refrigerator.

But, I also understand the process of desensitization.  By the time I shook the mealworms out of the bag, into a plastic tub and spooned them into other containers, I found myself curious about their care, requirements for food, moisture and fresh air.

Mealworms are actually the larvae form of the black mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor, a darkling beetle.  I'll let you google this species if you want to know more.  The second description I read on care and feeding also included preparation for human consumption, which abruptly ended my interest.  I'm in this for the birds!

Living close to bluebirds is highly motivating. Prior to the nestlings fledging, I attempted several times to get the adult pair to notice the blue dish of mealworms that I placed a few feet out and under the nestbox. The female finally slowed her departures from the nestbox enough to rest on the guard and look around and spotted the worms in the blue dish. From then on the blue dish became an instant attraction, eliciting chirps from her as she gathered the worms into her beak.  As many of them as she could carry!.

Once the male also understood the blue dish, I moved it closer to the mealworm feeder, which has a blue dish in it also, and put a few mealworms on top to catch their attention. Both birds caught on to the feeder right away, maneuvering through its wire guard with no problem.

And I need not have worried about my whistling skills, meager as they are.  Admittedly, this is a handy way to call bluebirds when they are close by as you feed mealworms.  I routinely whistled while initially putting out the dish of worms, but didn't think the birds were noticing.  In the past week, however, I've given a whistle when I didn't see them around, and they DO respond!  Just shows that whistling skill is not a factor in this!

Truth is, whistling is seldom required.  The first time the female fed from the feeder and returned to find the dish empty, she landed on a perch a few feet from me, looked straight at me and wing-waved.  This, before I even realized she knew I was the source of the mealworms.  She received a giggle and more mealworms.

Now when I come out to the patio to have my coffee in the morning, I am frequently greeted by both the male and the female as they come to a perch near the feeder chattering and wing-waving.  Irresistible.  I believe they have me trained!

Links and resources:

This is the eighth post in a series on this bluebird family.  To see all of the posts in this series visit the link, bluebird family.   You may also enjoy my June article for Wild Birds Unlimited, Having Fun with Bluebirds.

For articles leading up to the bluebird family posts, visit my Wild Birds Unlimited articles:  Smitten with Bluebirds and April Celebrations.  And to see the phoebe female nest building, visit:  The Hard Work of Nesting.    

Find instructions for making nest box predator guards by clicking the link.  These guards have worked to keep the 9" arm of a raccoon out and have prevented prowling cat predation, as well as snakes.  A 7-inch depth is recommended.  You may also find a version of these guards at the Wild Birds Unlimited store nearest you.

The "meal worm feeder" you see in my bluebird family blog posts is available through Wild Birds Unlimited.

To see last season's chickadee family's nesting success, visit the Secretive Chickadee Family and A Happy Fledging Time of Year.

Upcoming:  A very attentive parent and bluebirds loving water