You may have heard sandhill cranes flying overhead the last several weeks as they migrate through our area. The majestic and beautiful birds are among the largest found in the eastern United States, and they migrate from southern Canada all the way to the Gulf Coast each year.
Did you know Reflection Riding is home to two sandhill cranes?
Aldo Leopold, the father of modern day wildlife management, wrote about the Sandhill Cranes, saying “When we hear his call, we hear no mere bird. We hear the trumpet in the orchestra of evolution.” The fossils of a bird with identical structure to the Sandhill Crane has been carbon dated to have lived 10 million years ago, making the Sandhill Crane the longest surviving bird on the planet.
Standing at over 4 feet tall and having a wing span of over 6 feet, the Sandhill Crane is one of the largest birds found in the Eastern United States. They are gray in color with a long neck, long legs and a long pointed beak used for probing in the soil for seeds and insects. The Sandhill Cranes also have a distinctive red patch on their forehead, which is larger on the males.
During breeding season, the cranes will increase the blood flow to this area on the forehead, creating a bright red color to attract their potential mates. They usually live in areas with large open fields and shallow water. Their primary food sources are seeds, insects, and benthic macroinvertebrates.
Every year, these magnificent birds migrate from the Prairie Pothole region of the upper midwest and southern Canada down to the gulf coast. While in flight, the Sandhill Cranes call constantly. These calls can be heard from over a mile away and help the cranes keep their flight pattern. They typically fly in a V formation and can be easily distinguished from Geese by the long legs trailing behind them.
Starting in 1990, the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency (TWRA) began a program to make Eastern Tennessee a stopover location for these migratory birds. One of the locations chosen was the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge in Birchwood, Tennessee. Here, a flock of some 80,000 Sandhill Cranes will stop to rest and feed during their migration South. TWRA plants this area every year in corn to supply some of the food needs, and, with shallow water nearby, this creates an ideal location for the Cranes to rest.
Learn more about sandhill cranes on Saturday, January 29. Hear from Dr. David Aborn, an ornithology professor at UTC who is involved with sandhill crane research at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge, see Reflection Riding’s captive sandhill cranes up close, and caravan to the Refuge, where a portion of the migratory flock overwinters.
Members of the Tennessee Ornithological Society will provide their spotting scopes and answer questions about sandhill cranes and the many other birds we’ll see from the observation deck. It’ll be lots of fun!
Register for the program at https://reflectionriding.org/events/an-afternoon-with-the-cranes