MARSH HAVEN MONARCH
SUMMER 2004, Volume 21, Number 3

Dedicated to preserving and enjoying the nature and wildlife of Horicon Marsh through research, rehabilitation and education.

THE LUCKY ESCAPE
By Lawrence Vine

The tall, elegant predator dipped her lovely red-topped head and tried to enjoy a few more moments of rest. Just as she was about to nod off again to sleep, she felt some movements beneath her wings. Her two tan, fuzzy-looking youngsters were anxious to start their adventure-filled day. The mother Sandhill Crane rose somewhat stiffly, exposing her youngsters to the sudden brightness of a new day.

Both youngsters leaped to their feet, ready to go. One of the youngsters spotted their father a short distance away, and ran over to him. The crane family had selected a high spot of tall grass just north of Marsh Haven's Picnic shelter to spend the night. The father had kept careful watch over his family, catching a few well-deserved winks of sleep now and then.

Earlier this Spring, a talented Wildlife Photographer named Jack Barthoimai of Beaver Dam discovered the large Sandhill Crane nest at Marsh Haven while he was checking his bird houses for evidence of nesting. This first crane nest at Marsh Haven was located just northwest of the photo blind on Lake LaPresto in a clump of tall grass. The parents did their best to distract Jack away from the nest by calling, and even dragging a wing to look injured - just like the much smaller Killdeer often do! Jack left the area quickly to let the family settle back down.

Two weeks later, on May 8th, the two young cranes hatched out. The next day, when they were strong enough, their parents led them away from the nest to safer areas, leaving behind two large, brown-spotted, empty egg shells in the nest. Just a week later, torrential rains came to the Horicon Marsh Area. Jack reported that the crane nest was by then under water. The crane family had luckily timed their nesting activities just perfectly.

Sandhill Cranes are tall, stately birds with a full body and long necks and legs. When fully erect they stand four to five feet tall, yet the females only weigh about ten pounds and the taller males weigh only about 12 pounds. Except for the difference in size, both sexes look alike.

From a distance the birds often appear to be reddish-brown in color. They actually are gray in color, but they preen their feathers with vegetation and mud stained with iron oxide. Only the hard to reach areas on the upper neck, underwings and head lack the rusty coloration and their true gray coloration shows through.

Cranes were nearly hunted to extinction in Wisconsin, and famous Wildlife Biologist, Aldo Leopold, estimated less than 50 remained in our state in the early 1940's. But in recent decades the crane population has made a remarkable comeback, and thousands of cranes can now be found nesting In nearly every county in Wisconsin.

As opportunistic predators, cranes consume a wide variety of plant and animal life, including snails, crayfish, worms, mice, birds, frogs, snakes, and insects, as well as acorns, roots, and various seeds and fruits. Cranes are especially fond of harvested grain including corn, wheat, and barley. Unfortunately for farmers, cranes often pull newly planted corn, and each year some localized, severe crop damage is reported. However, cranes also benefit farming by consuming weed seeds, harmful insects and waste grain which, if left in the field, would compete with next year's crop.

The young cranes at Marsh Haven grew astonishingly fast. In a mere ten weeks they would be approaching adult size and ready for their first flight. But for now, they were content to follow their parents and take bits of food from them when offered. By carefully watching their parents, the young cranes learned a great deal each day about the all-important basics of survival.

By now the sun was high in the sky and the young cranes were staying close to their parents, even walking between their long legs. The father was walking west along the hedgerow north of the picnic shelter, probably looking for mice. His head was down, and his alert eyes were ready for the slightest movements. Then he spotted a small Cotton-tailed Rabbit just ahead! The bunny was not very old, and must have leaped from the safety of the hedgerow in a fit of youthful play. The tall hunter recognized an opportunity when he saw it, and, with several long strides, quickly started to close the gap.

Just as the crane was about to deliver a lightening-fast strike with his long dagger shaped bill, the rab~it spotted some tall grass moving close to him. The over-enthusiastic young crane had squirted out ahead of his father! The crouching rabbit then spotted the father crane's shadow as it crossed over him. These signals meant one thing to the rabbit - DANGER! He instinctively dove for the safety of the hedgerow, and just made it through to the other side.

The frustrated father crane looked this way and that way through the hedgerow. He could see the little rabbit, but there was no way he could reach him. A tasty breakfast was lost! Whether the young crane realized his mistake or not will never be known. The father crane did not reprimand his miniature hunting partner, but walked away in his usual, dignified manner, probably confident that other opportunities would soon appear. The young crane followed along, ever ready for more adventure.

A short time later the mother rabbit returned to her youngster having satisfied her own hunger by eating some clover and alfalfa. She was now ready to nurse. She would never know that just a few moments earlier one of her babies had successfully eluded a skillful predator, and managed his first lucky escape!

NOTES FROM THE DIRECTOR

As you know, we celebrated our 20th Anniversary on May 8th and 9th. In spite of a few brief showers, many visitors and members stopped in to say "Congratulations!" Everyone enjoyed our beautiful displays and exhibits. Sandy ordered two large and very tasty sheet cakes for our friends and visitors. The bakers at Piggly Wiggly Food Store in Beaver Dam made a nice flying goose and cattail design on each cake. Barbara Harvey gave two outstanding programs with her live hawks and owls on both Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Our visitors were just enthralled with her wonderful, engaging programs. They also enjoyed seeing her beautiful Birds of Prey up close. We were all very gratified to see so many people enjoying our center.

As always, many visitors were curious to know how Marsh Haven got started, how it got built, and how it is now operated. When I let people know that this huge project was made possible because of our many wonderful financial supporters, and our many talented volunteers, they stare back in disbelief. I told many visitors that weekend that our center truly was built because of 1,000 acts of generosity and kindness from our caring members and volunteers. Working together for twenty years, we built a marvelous, all-volunteer center, the largest in the mid-west, and maybe even the nation! Quite an accomplishment!

Just recently, an older, distinguished-looking man from Illinois stopped in. He said he operated a large museum for ten years before he retired. After going through our center, he said, "I'm really quite impressed! Your nature center is one of the most attractive ones I've ever seen!" He certainly made my day with his kind and gracious compliment!

In closing, I'd like to THANK YOU for all you have given, and all you have done to make Marsh Haven such an attractive, welcoming center. For 20 YEARS your generosity and caring has truly made all the difference. THANK YOU very much for your many acts of kindness!

Larry Vine - Founder and Director

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