Intimate Visits with a Sandhill Crane Family

Sandhill cranes are loved wherever you find them.  Recently I have become acquainted with several individuals who have spent many hours observing and documenting sandhill crane behavior as the families go about their daily lives.  These are also talented individuals who have shared what they've learned with the rest of the world.

The image you see above is from Christy Yuncker Photo Journal, a website you will want to visit to find a wonderful collection of images and descriptions of sandhill cranes and their behavior.  She and her husband, George Happ, are co-authors of the Sandhill Crane Display Dictionary.

Christy introduced me to Nina Faust, in Homer, Alaska, a videographer who has made a beautiful series of videos of a sandhill crane family living near her home. The videos are moving and intimate documentaries of a sandhill crane family engaged in its daily activities.

Before viewing, settle into your chair and relax.  Each video will draw you into the moment as you hear the gentle purr of a sandhill crane parent and enjoy this intimate visit with a family of sandhills going about their daily life.        





While the proposal to hunt the Eastern Population of sandhill cranes moves forward in the state of Kentucky despite overwhelming opposition, there is a parallel approval process occurring in the regulatory branch of the Migratory Bird Division of USFWS.  This division reviews and approves the regulatory rules that govern proposed hunting seasons for migratory birds.  Kentucky's proposed sandhill crane hunting season is currently under review and the public is invited to comment.  

Two important deadlines:
August 1st--comment deadline in Kentucky.
August 5th--comment deadline for USFWS regulatory ruling.

By August 1st--KDFWR's comment period for the public to voice their opinion about the proposed sandhill crane hunting season ends August 1st, 2011.  If  you are opposed to the hunting of sandhill cranes in the east,  please let your voice be heard. Send your comments to the following KDFWR email address:  rose.mack@ky.gov

By August 5th--USFWS is holding a public comment period on the proposed sandhill crane hunt in Kentucky.  Comments can be made via postal mail or online portal.  You can make your comment online at the following link:  Frameworks for Early Season Migratory Bird Hunting   You may type your comment or provide it as an attachment. You will see a tab that provides for your comment at the top right.  Click on the pdf tab to read the document.  Sandhill cranes are discussed in item # 9, page 44735.  

The postal mailing address is:  Public Comments Processing, Attn:  FWS-R9-MB-2011-0014; Division of Policy and Directives Management; US Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, MS 2042-PDM; Arlington, VA  22203

But don't stop there.  Who do you know that can have an impact on this process?  Role up your sleeves, make a phone call, send an email, send a letter, invite that person to discuss this issue with you. Everyone has access to their state's law makers. You will find your state's US legislators' phone numbers and mail addresses at this link. These are the people who have the power to stop a decision-making process that excludes the voice of the majority of US citizens.

Links and Resources:

Visit sandhill crane hunting for my previous posts on this issue.  The most recent post will be first. When you reach the bottom of the page, click "older posts" to view more.

More on Purple Martins coming up!

Purple Martins--Contenders for Bird-World Personality Award

Typically, its my observation of a species that inspires interest and the desire to create art, but it can also happen the other way around.  I recently received a request for a painting of a purple martin, a bird that I was familiar with, but that I had never had opportunity to observe.  I said, yes, of course.  I love a challenge, especially when it comes with the opportunity to get better acquainted with a bird species.  But then, I immediately wondered, how am I going to accomplish this?  I don't even know anyone with a purple martin colony.

Not an obstacle.  Purple martin landlords love their birds and many belong to a local and/or national purple martin organization.  In this case, the Purple Martin Conservation Association located a colony landlord for me, who graciously allowed me free access to the colony, gave me the opportunity to participate in a nest check, even loaned me a ladder for a better view, all in a perfect location for uninterrupted observation.

Female purple martin above and below.

Observation time with these birds was totally fun.  As martins return to the breeding colony in the spring, what you initially see looks like chaos.  But there is the making of social order from all that activity.  The birds are selecting mates, nest sites and compatible neighbors, and what appears to be confusion, is simply a highly social species sorting out relationships, and progressing toward the order that will see them through the breeding season in a colony of closely positioned nests.

So if you haven't had a chance to spend time with martins, you are in for a treat.  The only thing lacking is the vocals.  A very chatty species!  Below you will see a series of images of a female trying to add a twig to her nest.  Her determination was astounding.  I didn't count how many times she tried before she actually succeeded, nor do I know whether her success was a learning process or just accidental trial and error, but she was no slacker in persistence.  And whether her mate, or a neighbor, her efforts caught interest and comment from the male perched beside her.  Also notice the beautiful blue sheen of sunlight on his feathers.  (click on images to enlarge)

  

She was one of many birds going about this challenging activity.  Both males and females were flying in with mouths full of nesting materials, all sizes and description.  I'll show you more about this in my next post.

To see more of my sketches and the painting's progression visit:  Purple Martins at Vickie's Sketchbook.

To learn more about purple martins, visit:  The Purple Martin Conservation Association

For a visual comparison between the plumage of males and females and younger birds visit;  Chuck's Purple Martin Page

Kentucky's Sandhill Crane Hunt Proposal--Your Voice Counts

The sandhill crane hunting proposal developed by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) has reached the administrative approval level in the form of a proposed regulation that is moving toward a state legislative vote.  If this regulation succeeds in passing and if the hunting proposal meets the regulatory standards of the USFWS, Kentucky will become the first state to open a hunting season on the eastern population of greater sandhill cranes since the population's near extinction.

As most of you know, there are a vast number of hunters and non-hunters in the east who do not want to see this happen.  For many, the first reason that comes to mind springs right out of the heart.  Most of us have been passionate about sandhill cranes from the moment we encountered them.  They are large charismatic birds, social, highly vocal and impressive as they congregate in staging areas during their fall and spring migration. They are the kind of birds that evoke goose bumps and wonder, and the story of their recovery offers a model partnership between humans and nature.  Humans protected them from hunting and conserved wetlands; sandhill cranes adapted to smaller breeding territories and learned to feed in waste grain fields adjacent to wetlands.  We simply stopped harming them and they did the rest.  There is a valuable lesson here for the future of wildlife stewardship in this country.

Besides my passion for sandhill cranes and my wish that this population be allowed to continue their recovery without hunting interference, I would like to share one piece of scientific information in response to those who think, "there are so many birds, how could we possibly harm the population with a limited harvest?"  Jeb Barzen, Director of Field Ecology for the International Crane Foundation, the leading scientific resource for sandhill cranes in our nation, and one that is neutral on the issue of hunting, has the following to say about Kentucky's proposed harvest rate:

No population modeling has yet been done for the Eastern Population of Sandhill Cranes (EP).  The harvest rate proposed for the commonwealth of Kentucky alone could consume a substantial portion of the productivity of the breeding crane population in the Upper Midwest.  Data from one study in Wisconsin suggests that, in the last decade an average of one in three nests fledged a chick each year.  If this rate of productivity is comparable for the EP as a whole, 1500 nesting crane territories would be needed to produce the cranes proposed for harvest in Kentucky.  In addition, the fledging rate is declining so the reproduction rate seen in most recent years might be more relevant.  In 2009 and 2010, approximately one in five nests fledged a chick to migration.  Given this 18% fledging to migration rate, a harvest and crippling removal of 480 birds would require 2,800 nests to replace the hunting loss.  Whether 1500 or 2800 nests, this represents a significant percentage of nesting pairs in Wisconsin and Michigan, likely the primary breeding areas for Sandhill Cranes that migrate through Kentucky.

Dr. Barzen's entire report is available at the link provided below and the data that supports his report is available to anyone through the International Crane Foundation.  This is a valuable document to study for those who are interested in this important issue.  It not only speaks to the breeding ecology of sandhill cranes in the east, but to problems in survey methods and problematic inferences that were used to support the hunting objective in the Management Plan for the Eastern Population of Sandhill Cranes.

What can you do now to help?

1)  First and foremost, the KDFWR is holding an open comment period for the public to voice their opinion about this hunt proposal.  This comment period lasts from July 1, 2011 to August 1st, 2011.  Do not underestimate the power of your voice.  If  you are opposed to the hunting of sandhill cranes in the east,  please let your voice be heard. You may be as detailed or as brief as you wish.  Send your comments to the following KDFWR email address:  rose.mack@ky.gov

2) Second, visit the petition site, "No Hunting for Sandhill Cranes in the East" and support the request that the eastern population management plan be revisited and the hunting objective excluded from this plan.  As I write this post, the petition is only 89 signatures short of reaching its goal of 2500.  Sign it, send it to all your networks, and ask all your friends to do the same!

3) Thirdly, stay on top of this issue by visiting the KY Coalition for Sandhill Cranes website frequently.  This site is easy to navigate and is full of helpful information.  Keep your comments and opposition letters handy and be ready to send them wherever they are needed.

4) Fourthly, pull out your sandhill crane hunt opposition letter, the ones you sent to Tennessee and Kentucky officials, and send it to your state's US senators and congressmen.  We need their help.  Let them know that you are not happy with a system that does not provide for equal representation from the non-wildlife-management, scientific community and that leaves out input from the majority of citizens when considering a new species to target for hunting.  The address and email of your state's US senators and congressmen can be found here.

5) Lastly, conservation is not for the faint of heart!  Congratulate yourself  for your efforts, your determination, and your stewardship.  Then take a deep breath and be ready to go again!  Conservationists are a diverse group of people, hunters and non-hunters.  We won't always agree on everything, but if we keep our focus on the real issue, the well-being of the wildlife species in question, good things will happen for our world.

Links and Resources:

Kentucky Coalition for Sandhill Cranes
International Crane Foundation
Thanks to Charlie Corbeil for permission to used his beautiful sandhill crane images. Visit Charlie's photo gallery for more stunning images.
For more ideas about what to include in your KY hunt proposal opposition comments visit Julie Zickefoose's recent post:  Last Gasp for Sandhill Cranes
Recent media articles on KY's sandhill crane hunt proposal.  In particular read the July 10th article by Carol Besse.
Visit sandhill crane hunting for all my posts on this issue.  The most recent post will be first.  Scroll down and click "older" to view older posts.

Eastern Bluebirds--Juveniles Helping Parents Feed Nestlings

Several days ago, I noticed the bluebird juveniles, now eleven weeks old, visiting the nest box, looking in on the nestlings.

After seeing one of the juveniles fly inside the nest guard and rest there repeatedly, I wondered if she was displaying curiosity or expressing a desire to participate in caring for the young.  Yesterday, I had more time to observe and got my answer.  The juveniles are helping their parents feed the nestlings.

The efforts I observed were not always smooth, as in, multiple attempts to fly into the predator guard, and near collision with a parent while exiting the nest, but as the day progressed, the juvenile efforts became more and more efficient.  Not only were they feeding  young, they were also removing fecal sacs.

From time to time, the male took charge of activity, issuing strong warning notes that caused a juvenile to change directions in mid flight.  Sometimes the warning seemed to indicate it wasn't safe to approach the nest.  At other times, the reason was not apparent, but his authority was clearly affirmed.

The juveniles respond differently to their parents in general now, rarely expressing themselves as fledglings eager to be fed, but more as family members heeding group hierarchy. Juveniles may display an open-mouth response w/o begging vocals if a parent lands too close.  The display seems to indicate submission or a reminder, 'I'm a baby', as seen in the image below.  The female, to the right, had just landed.  The juvenile displayed an open mouth for a few seconds and quickly departed.

While watching the juveniles bring food to the nestlings, there were also occasions when the juveniles just seemed to be behaving as juveniles.  For example, in the images below, you'll see two juveniles at the nest box at the same time.  Watch what happens as the second juvenile passes the first while entering the nest box.

As the day progressed, there seemed to be more and more harmony in the efforts, with as many as three family members lined up on a limb waiting for their turn to feed the nestlings.

The nestlings are thirteen days old today.  Eastern bluebirds generally fledge at 16-22 days, according to my monitoring guide (Cornell Bird Library Guide).  The first brood fledged at 18 days.  I checked the nestbox today for the last time pre-fledging and counted four beautiful nestlings, two males, one female and one whose gender I couldn't determine because the wing feathers were hidden under piles of sibling feathers.  When these nestlings fledge, the family will scatter initially, as the fledglings fly to high perches for safety.  If I'm lucky, they will later return to visit the feeder and the bird bath, and I'll have opportunity to see how siblings of different ages interact.              

Links and Resources:

This is the fifteenth post in my 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.

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.

Coming up:  Fun visits with purple martins!

Linked to Bird Photography Weekly #151, a reminder to help conserve our world's birds.

Eastern Bluebirds--A Family of Nine Trying to Stay Cool

I frequently fill the mealworm feeder after returning home from the office in the evenings, especially on these hot and humid summer days.  I suspect that refrigerated mealworms help cool down bluebird parents, as well as, nestlings and their juvenile siblings.  On days when the heat index passes 100, birds are affected and can be seen trying to cool themselves with mouths open.  

The bluebirds are a family of nine now, two parents, three fledged juveniles that are a little over ten weeks old, and four eleven-day-old nestlings.  On July 4th, the family's second brood of nestlings hatched.  Below you see an image I took as I discovered hatching in progress.  Notice the pipping tooth that's visible on the hatchling's beak, the tough, horn-like tooth that helps the nestling break its shell and just as efficiently dissolves after hatching.

And below you see an image taken on July 11th, at one week of age.  Eyes are open, skin is now covered with down, feather sheaths and emerging feathers, and the wary youngsters recognize the sounds of mom and dad coming to feed and no longer gape when the nestbox is opened.  In just another five to ten days, they will be ready to fledge, a marvel just as amazing as that tiny little head resting on the egg above.

It has been a joy to watch this family and see so many intimate details of their lives and behavior.  I was surprised by this opportunity, thinking initially that bluebirds would not select a nestbox so close to the house and the nestbox would remain the domain of chickadees.  But that hasn't been the case this year.  In the image below, you can see how closely the mealworm feeder, nestbox, house and patio are positioned.  You can also see the gazebo roof line where the phoebes hatched and fledged two broods on the supporting shelf underneath.  The second phoebe brood fledged just prior to the second bluebird hatch.  The limb you see on the ground is actually a tree that came down during one of our storms.  It has made a great eye-level perch for the bluebirds.  Also, between the patio (which begins at the post to the right) and the mealworm feeder you see the shepherd's hook that is frequently used by the bluebirds.

To the right and west of what you see in the image, lies the birdbath, shaded from the afternoon sun by surrounding trees and enjoyed by all, including me.

This is, of course, the other way birds stay cool.  Birds may visit the birdbath anytime for a drink, but bathing occurs especially during mid-day to late afternoon.  Here you see the male bluebird visiting the smaller birdbath I previously had.  These are some of my favorite images of the male bluebird, comical and endearing.  He visited the water several times in a brief period to bathe vigorously and granted some fun pics.  

Links and Resources:

This is the fourteenth post in my 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 articles for Wild Birds Unlimited, Having Fun with Bluebirds and We Have Bluebird Hatchlings.

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

Smitten with Bluebirds and April Celebrations.  

The birdbath seen in the previous post is available at Wild Birds Unlimited.  The "meal worm feeder" you see in my bluebird family blog posts is also available through Wild Birds Unlimited.

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.

Coming up:  Fun visits with purple martins!

Lucky--A Wild Whooping Crane From Hatch to First Flight

I came across this video while reading Operation Migration's Field Journal, a great place to visit and keep abreast of what's happening with our whooping crane population, as well as, other conservation news.  There are also other organizations involved with whooping crane conservation, among them, the Whooping Crane Conservation Association where you can find a whole collection of videos on the subject.

In the seldom seen video below you will see the story of the wild whooping crane chick, Lucky, as the footage follows him from hatching to first flight.  It is the stuff of goose-bumps and in the end, may move you to tears.

Marty Folk, Florida US Fish and Wildlife biologist, describes Lucky:  "This 2002 chick was the first Whooping crane to fledge in the wild in the United States in 63 years (all others had fledged in Canada).  Not only had Lucky become the first whooping crane to fledge in the wild in the US since 1939, he was the first whooping crane to fledge as a result of a reintroduction of this species.  Landowners adjacent to the nest marsh named the chick "Lucky" largely due to the fact that there were many attempts by predators to catch the chick."  You will see one of them in the video.

Whooping cranes and sandhill cranes are the only two true cranes that live in North America and whooping cranes remain on the Endangered Species list.  The spring nest count for the original wild migrating population at Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada recorded a record 75 nests this season, one more than previously reported in 2010.  Another survey will be conducted in August to determine nest productivity.  In 2010, the census taken at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Texas, where these birds winter, reported a total of 257 wild endangered whooping cranes.  The eastern reintroduced population, that migrates from Wisconsin to Florida, currently numbers 103.

A sub-adult whooping crane foraging at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.  Photo by Vickie Henderson

Links and Resources:

More videos at the Whooping Crane Conservation Association
My coloring book pages found at the Whooping Crane Conservation website.

Juvenile Bluebirds Enjoy the Water

Most of the time, I have seen the juvenile bluebirds playing in the birdbath as I've walked by the window and glanced out.  But this was a delightful occasion two days ago when I happened to be settled on the patio when they arrived, camera ready.  What a delight.

Even though they are doing what birds naturally do in water--drinking and bathing--there is something naive and curious about the expressiveness of juveniles while they visit the birdbath, especially when more than one visits at once.  These images show the new birdbath that I purchased after the juveniles fledged in anticipation of more than one family member visiting the water at the same time.  It was a good decision.

Notice in the images below, how the young female (I think) backs into the water from her position on the rock.  All the rest is just plain fun.  Juveniles bathing and playing and sharing that time together.  

Often when they visit the birdbath, they will interrupt their visit and fly to a perch for a few minutes, possibly to affirm the safety of the area.  If all seems safe, back they come, not quite finished with their enjoyment of the water. .  

A great way to celebrate the hot days of summer and the many freedoms represented in our celebration of Independence Day!

Links and Resources:

This is the thirteenth post in my 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.  

The birdbath seen in the images is available at Wild Birds Unlimited.  The "meal worm feeder" you see in my bluebird family blog posts is also available through Wild Birds Unlimited.

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.