Sandhill crane rare sight in Maine Bird impressive in size and appearance; one reported near Lewiston

During these last few weeks, reports of a sandhill crane near Lewiston reminded me of the last time I saw one of these striking birds. It was in Florida, during the month of March, I think – and I remember how impressive this bird appeared.

Even from a distance, the crane seemed impossibly large. Although comparable in length to a great blue heron – about four feet – the sandhill’s body seemed bulkier and more substantial, and although its neck was long, it lacked the graceful S-curve of a heron’s neck. The overall impression suggested a primitive, almost prehistoric appearance. It seemed especially fitting, then, to read that it is one of the oldest species of living birds; the earliest fossil dates back 2.5 million years.

Sandhill cranes breed primarily in Canada and Alaska; breeding populations also exist in the western and Midwestern contiguous U.S. It is a bird of open grasslands and freshwater marshes in these regions; aside from a year-round population in Florida, it is rare in the eastern half of the United States. Nevertheless, it has been spotted quite a few times here in Maine outside of the breeding season.

Usually, cranes tend to migrate and gather into loose, large flocks in what are known as “staging areas” – typically unspoiled, ecologically rich and productive lands that allow the birds to rest and refuel before continuing on migration. One such area is the famed Platte River Valley in Nebraska, where thousands of the cranes gather during spring migration. Some quirk in its migratory pattern allows us to see one or two birds in our neck of the woods every so often.

One such observation I’d like to share with you was made by Derek Lovitch, who, with his wife Jeannette, runs the Wild Bird Center of Yarmouth. He recalled his experience upon seeing the crane in a flooded field somewhere around Lewiston:

“When I pulled into the parking lot, the crane was no more than 20 yards away. It then called, and took flight across the field to join 22 wild turkeys. I found the turkeys’ behavior rather interesting: as the crane approached, they all got agitated, fanning their tails, and clustered in two groups. Once the crane landed (and not on a turkey), they relaxed and resumed foraging. The crane remained with the turkeys for about 20 minutes, before taking flight back across the field.”

Now turkeys are hefty, impressive-looking birds but I’ll bet that crane put them all to shame.

Sandhill cranes appear to be increasing but were not previously as endangered as the whooping crane, whose populations bottomed out in 1941 at an estimated 15 to 18 birds in the entire North America. Joint conservation efforts by the United States and Canada have included using sandhill cranes as foster parents for whooping crane young. This was somewhat successful and, along with other measures, has brought the whooping crane back from extinction, but only barely.

I may travel down to the Lewiston area to see our vagrant sandhill crane; if I’m lucky, it may still be there. I hope to some day see it on its breeding grounds and observe its famous courtship dance. Seeing a pair of cranes bowing, dipping, swinging their heads, and leaping into the air in perfect synchrony with each other would be the ultimate treat.

NEWS bird columnist Chris Corio can be reached at bdnsports@bangordailynews.net