Sandhills and Whoopers
March 1, 2011 (Tuesday)
There are some fields west of town where Wanda and I used to see Sandhill Cranes in sizable numbers. I’ve been looking for them out there all winter long, but evidently they have found better places to feed. Yesterday, during Sunday School at Bethel Baptist Church, Ingleside, I finally saw some of them. They were right outside the church, and there were four or five of them within my view. They are huge birds, about the same size as Whooping Cranes, and are very much like the Whoopers, except for the color.
Back in 1999, I was at the same church late one Sunday afternoon, and heard a flock of them coming in our direction. They make a unique sound, a sort of trill, and in a flock moving toward their roost it seemed like every one of them was calling. It was a sound unlike anything I had ever heard. I kept looking up as they flew nearer and their sounds grew louder, and suddenly they appeared over the tops of trees, then overhead and finally on to their accommodations for the night. There were a great many of them, perhaps hundreds.
Sandhill Cranes are not endangered, and are considered game birds by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission. Hunters with their camouflage and shotguns have the advantage over the birds, but every so often one of those very tall birds sneaks up on a hunter and sounds off with that bugle call of his, and nearly scares the hunter to death. Seems only fair. The laws don’t allow the cranes to carry guns.
There are only about 550 Whooping Cranes in the world, and about 150 of those are in captivity. (In 1941, there were only 15 in the entire world). When my family and I moved to Rockport in November, 1964, around 35 Whooping Cranes came to the Refuge that winter. This year I think about 284 or so are there. These numbers are not official and may not be even nearly accurate. Officials hope for 400 by the year 2020. By contrast, there are many thousands of Sandhill Cranes and more than one kind and size. The large Sandhills have been used in some projects to raise young Whooping Cranes, and that shows they are much alike.
Anyway, I had the privilege of seeing some Sandhills Sunday. It made my winter complete.