“This weather is for the birds,” is a popular saying, but it couldn’t have been more true for the Sandhill Cranes we saw at the Jasper/Pulaski Wildlife Area yesterday. Over 30,000 of these birds were counted there on December 1st. Just a few minutes before sunset flocks of birds flew in from every direction to hunker down for nightfall. It was awesome!
Sandhill Cranes are migratory birds which choose this location as a pit stop on their path to the wetlands and marshes in Florida where they spend the winter. In the spring they will stop again on their flight back to Northern Michigan where they will spend the warmer months.
Sandhill Cranes stand about 3–4 feet tall,have a wingspan of five feet or more, and can weight 7–11 pounds. They can live up to 20 years and have only one mate for life. However, if a mate dies the surviving crane will seek to find a new partner.
During their refueling stop in Indiana, the Cranes eat mostly grain which is left in the surrounding fields after harvest, but they will also eat plants, insects, spiders, worms, mice, small birds, berries, crayfish, snakes, lizards and frogs.
In most places it is illegal to feed or kill Sandhill Cranes. Feeding them can cause them to wander into unsafe areas where they may be hit by cars or may interfere with their natural instinct to forage for food. Surprisingly, people who have eaten Sandhill Cranes say their meat tastes more like pork chops than chicken.
