Newspaper Page Text
February 18, 2009
PAGE 3B
^Reporter
Monroe County Outdoors
A case of mistaken identity
O ne of the largest birds that
passes through Monroe County
is the Sandhill Crane. We see these
them but twice a year. In late win
ter they pass over the county head
ing northward to their breeding grounds that
extend from southern Michigan and Wisconsin
to the icy shores of Hudson Bay in northern
Canada. Then in the fall they wing their way
southward toward their wintering grounds in
South Georgia and
Florida. Invariably,
when they are seen
or heard they are
mistakenly called
Canada Geese. On
the flip side, Canada
Geese are rarely
misidentified as be
ing Sandhill Cranes.
I am convinced
that there are a
couple of reasons
for these
cases of
mistaken
identity.
Both birds
migrate in
V-shaped
flocks. However, since most of us are not
familiar with Sandhill Cranes, when we
see a flock of these huge birds flying past
in a V-shaped flock, we invariably assume
that they are Canada Geese. In truth, in
this neck of the woods, the vast majority
of the time, we are looking are Canada
Geese.
This is because it has been estimated
that nowadays fewer than 5,000 Canada
Geese migrate through Georgia. Most of
the geese seen locally are nonmigratory.
They hatch here and spend their entire
lives in or near our fair county.
When farms in the upper South began
plants thousands of acres of winter crops
such as wheat and rye they unwittingly
changed the migratory habits of the east
ern population of the Canada goose.
Instead of wintering in the
deep south, the birds are
short-stopped near
these succulent crops.
In comparison, for
thousands of years,
untold generations of Greater Sandhill
Cranes have been migrating through
Georgia. They represent one of 9 dis
tinct populations of Sandhill Cranes
found in North America. This sub
species numbers roughly 30,000 indi
viduals.
Here are a few tips that will help
you separate Canada Geese from
Sandhill Cranes.
Often you will hear Sandhill
Cranes long before you
spot them. The calls
produced by a flock of
migrating sandhills
is often described
as a rolling unmu
sical Garooo-
a-a-a inter
spersed with
cacophony of
shrill,
almost bell
like rattles
and croaks
produced by an
8-inch wind
pipe. In compar
ison, at a dis
tance the sounds
generated by a
flock of Canada
Goose sounds much
like the barking of a
pack of dogs. At close
range, you can hear the
goose’s deep, double-
noted Ka-runk, Halunk
calls.
Locally Canada Geese
rarely fly more than a
few hundred feet
above the ground in
flocks typically numbering 100
or less birds. In comparison,
migrating sandhill flocks, made
up of hundreds or even thou
sands of birds, often fly so high
they appear like dots in the sky.
In migration, both sandhills and
Canada Goose often fly in V-
shaped flocks. While, more often
than not, these flocks maintain
their V-shape, such is not the case
with Sandhill Cranes. They trav
el in undulating V-shaped flocks
that seem to be constantly
changing their shape. In addi
tion, they will routinely seem to
be confused and begin flying
around in broad
circles before
regrouping and
continuing on
their way.
Both Canada
Geese and
Sandhill Cranes
fly with their
long necks out
stretched.
However, unlike
geese, the legs of the
Sandhill Cranes extend
well beyond their tails.
If you have a pair of
binoculars handy when
flocks of Sandhill Cranes
pass over, take careful looks
of all of the birds in the
flocks. There is a chance
that a Whooping Crane or
two are embedded in these
flocks of large gray birds.
Whooping Cranes will be
white except for their wing
tips which will appear to be
dipped in black paint.
The appearance of
Sandhill Cranes in late
winter is an exciting
event. It is a proof
that winter is losing its cold grip on the
county and that spring is riding on the
tailwinds of these magnificent birds. I
think that you would agree that birds
that are true harbingers of spring should
n’t be victims of mistaken identity.
Terry Johnson is the retired Program
Manager of the Georgia Nongame-
Endangered Wildlife Program. He is cur
rently Executive Director of TERN (The
Nongame Wildlife Section's Friends
Group) and conducts wildlife research and
survey projects, presents programs and
writes about wildlife. Email him at
TJWoodDuck@aol. com.
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100 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive • Forsyth
(In the Surgical Arts Building)
478-994-5909
Monroe County
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478-994-2521
88 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive
Forsyth, GA 31029
www.monroehospital.org
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478-994-2988
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Board Certified Ophthalmologists
Monroe County Hospital Specialty Clinic
235 Medical Court • Forsyth, GA.
(478) 741-1740,
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Piedmont Orthopaedic Complex
4660 Riverside Park Blvd.
Macon, GA 31210
478/474-2114 • 1-800-338-5141
Open Monday - Friday
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Monday - Friday: 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Saturday: 8 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Caldwell Veterinary Hospital, LLC
951 Hwy 41 South • Forsyth • 478-957-9084
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6411 Peake Road • Macon, Georgia 31210
Office
(478)474-3616
“Big & small, we treat them all. ”