The Sandhill Crane Family

There is something almost magical about watching a bird family over the course of several days. You feel like you develop a relationship with them. You learn by observation, which makes the details of how they've been created even more inspiring. And you care about them. Deeply.

That was what my friend, Pam, and I experienced as we watched a Sandhill Crane family over 10 days. We could practically set a clock by their routine. Almost every morning at 7:45, they were on the back side of the tiny island in the middle of the tiny lake on which we were staying.

The father would fly to the distant shore and check it out for safety. Then the mother would glide into the water, her little colt behind her, joining the father on the other side.

I have no idea where they went during the day. At first they'd feed along that shore then they'd saunter off. But at 6:45 at night, we'd see them on the far shore again. As in the morning, the father would fly to the little island and make sure the resident alligator wasn't nearby and no other predators had arrived. Meanwhile, the mother and colt continued to feed on the shore and wait for an "all clear."

Then they, too, paddled across.

As the sun set, the Sandhill Crane family fed along the shore of the little island. Sometimes they'd start out on the back side, and sometimes along the front. It was always funny to watch them when they were along the front. There was a little part that was water and the father would fly over it first. Sometimes the mother flew, too, and the little colt swam across and squawked the whole time.

It was wild how my friend and I felt like we'd developed a relationship with these Sandhill Cranes, even though we respected their wildness and tried not to interfere. We intentionally went out in the canoe in the morning to watch the crossing, and we'd be out again in the evening as they returned to the little island. We marveled at how quickly the colt grew, and how each day the parents seemed to coax the little one with a next step in development.

I wonder...how much has that little colt grown this past month?

And do they still nestle down on the little island each night, or what are their routines?

I'll never know. But I'm thankful for this glimpse in time.