Sandhill Cranes increasing in Northumberland County

Nature Notes for May 29, 2015

The loud chattering from the swampy area carried to us from over 2 km. distance. We drove closer. Although the sound was very near the road, we could not see the birds through the trees.

We had found at least two Sandhill Cranes near the south shore of Rice Lake. For such a large bird, they can be very difficult to see, but not to detect. Their trumpeting call carries over quite a distance and they are very vocal when they are setting up territory.

Sandhill Cranes have only fairly recently moved into Northumberland County in any numbers. In the twenty years between the two Ontario Breeding Bird atlases, there was a very noticeable increase in their presence in southern Ontario. 

Sandhill Crane family

 photo © Chris Geddes

Locally, a few Sandhill Cranes have nested on the marshes on the north side of Rice Lake for about twenty years. This spring, there has been an increase in sightings throughout Northumberland County. They have been found several places along the south shore of Rice Lake. Sightings have also been reported from areas around the Northumberland Forest, Presqu’ile Provincial Park and Murray Marsh. There has been an increase in sightings of cranes during fall migration, too, sometimes of flocks numbering over 30 birds.

Frequently, Great Blue Herons are mistaken for cranes, but they are not closely related at all. Both are gray in colour, although the cranes often have a rusty tone to their plumage. The rusty colour is caused from the birds rubbing iron-rich soil on their plumage.

Although Great Blue Herons and Sandhill Cranes are about the same size, that is 5 feet tall, cranes have a bare forehead, which is red in the adults, and a less upright posture than the herons. The crane beak is heavier and thicker than the heron. In flight, cranes fly with their neck stretched out, while Great Blue Herons fly with their neck curled up.

Sandhill Cranes prefer to nest in wet meadows and swamps, adjacent to dry upland areas. They make their nest of dry herbaceous vegetation to which they may add some green vegetation as the season progresses. Sometimes the nest is a large mound, sometimes only a lined scrape.

When they are courting, Sandhill Cranes perform an elaborate “dance” which involves much head bobbing, bowing, wing flapping and jumps into the air. This dance has intrigued people and led to attempts to imitate this dance by First Nation dancers, as well as people from other cultures.

Sandhill Cranes pair for life, which can be decades. The oldest crane, according to banding records, was 36 years and 7 months. They tend to be faithful to their nest site and will often use the same nest with another mate if their first mate dies.

Sandhill Cranes typically lay two eggs, but only raise one chick per year. The youngsters leave the nest a few hours after hatching, but stay with their parents for nine or ten months. The young ones are turned out of the territory the following spring.

Most Sandhill Cranes are 7 years old before their first nesting. Immature birds often gather in loose flocks until they are ready to breed.

While their diet is heavy in seeds and cultivated grains, Sandhill Cranes also eat adult and larval insects, snails, reptiles, amphibians, nestling birds, small mammals, seeds, and berries. They feed on land or in shallow marshes. They winter in the southern U.S. and Mexico, preferring to spend the night roosting in shallow lakes or rivers and foraging in the daytime in grasslands and pastures.

Perhaps readers will be fortunate enough to come across this big bird around the edges of the marshes adjacent to Rice Lake and the Trent system.