Friendly Reminder

Family of Florida Sandhill Cranes at Barr Hammock near Gainesville

Yesterday I was digging through my t-shirt drawer, weeding out the ones I never wear anymore, and uncovered a sock that was tucked inside the neck of a shirt. I just about shouted for joy! It was my long lost sandhill crane sock that had disappeared sometime after a trip to Florida at Thanksgiving. I was really sad that I had lost it and finding it made me so happy that I was smiling and in a good mood for the rest of the day. It's a little hard to explain, but I have a strange emotional attachment to some of my socks and earrings. They each give me comfort in some way. The sandhill cranes were one of the things I missed most about moving away from Florida (besides family and friends, of course!) and these silly socks were a friendly reminder of the birds I had grown to love during our time living there.

Headline News: Beloved sock, found again!

Gainesville might be famous for the Gators, but it should also be known for the cranes. Sandhill cranes are a huge part of the natural history of Florida and of Gainesville. According to the All About Birds website run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, "the earliest Sandhill Crane fossil, estimated to be 2.5 million years old, was unearthed at the Macasphalt Shell Pit in Florida." The cranes that come to Florida spend their summers in the Great Lakes region and fly south roughly along the I-75 corridor, arriving in November and December. They are a separate subpopulation from the cranes that migrate and gather in the spring to refuel in famously huge numbers (500,000 plus) at the Platte River in Nebraska. (There is also a threatened sub-species called the Florida Sandhill Crane that lives in Florida year round and raises young there. They are somewhat smaller than the migratory cranes.)

USGS Map of Crane Migration. Note that the scientific name for the Sandhill Crane has recently changed from
Grus canadensis to Antigone canadensis

Sandhill cranes are beautiful and large birds (3-4 feet tall) with long legs, a huge wingspan, long bills and a striking red patch on the forehead. They live in families or pairs, but during migration and winter gather together in large flocks. They prefer marshes and fields where they can feed on seeds, roots, bugs and small critters. The marshes give them protection from predators. Over the years, Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, just outside of Gainesville, with its wet prairie and wide open spaces, has been a preferred wintering ground. Their breeding ground is far to the north where they spend the summer. For the cranes that migrate to Florida, this means Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and up further into Canada. When the cold and snowy weather arrives in the fall, like all good snowbirds, they head down south. 

A Beautiful Bird

Red Splash

That big bill is good for probing the soil

The cranes arrive in bunches, usually flying in at night. I read that they can fly 170-450 miles per day, probably depending on a good tail wind and whether they find good resting and feeding spots along the way. More cranes keep arriving all month and the flocks grow bigger. After a few weeks it will be common to see large V's of cranes taking off together around mid-morning from their nighttime resting spots to the marshes and farm fields where they pick through the muck and animal feed.

Searching hard for food. Got to get every last bit!

Coming in for a landing

They stick around in sunny Florida, fattening up until February or March, then start the trip back north to breed. They usually lift off mid-morning, maybe because the thermals are better for flying. They circle overhead, waiting as the groups gather, and then they leave in waves, like squadrons of fighter planes moving out. As with arrival, leaving goes on for a few weeks.

Squadrons heading out

Heading north again

Both our homes in Gainesville were under the flyway and I'm not sure if I can count the number of times I was outside working in the yard or out running errands or walking and heard the unforgettable sound of cranes calling. I would stop whatever I was doing and just stand watching them as they flew overhead, calling and answering in their familiar trumpeting voices. I felt a thrill but also felt sadness as I said goodbye for the season, wishing them well on their journey. Until next fall, friends.

Sometimes endangered Whooping Cranes will join Sandhills, as this one did on the UF campus one year. The Whooping Crane is the tall all white bird in the center

In 2008-9 an exceptionally large number of cranes wintered at Paynes Prairie. People estimated that there were 8000 cranes in Gainesville that year. It was an amazing sight. You should see the mess left when a big flock of cranes has spent the winter. The ground was all turned up and every green sprout and seed and slug had been pull out in their furious search for nutritious food. It looked like it had been rototilled. But the plants grew back again, though the cranes really had changed the landscape that year. When the huge flocks headed back north that spring, the sound as they flew and honked overhead was like a roar from a stadium. I remember being so excited that I grabbed the phone and called my mom and dad in California so they could hear it, too, forgetting that there was a time difference. I'm pretty sure I woke them up, but it was for a good reason. Click here for to see a short video and hear just 2 cranes calling to each other. Multiply that sound by several thousand and you can get the idea.

Flying in

Feeding. See how they have turned the soil?

More landing

Over the last several years, fewer cranes have been wintering in Gainesville. Whether this is due to flooding from hurricanes, loss of habitat along the way, climate change, better food elsewhere, is not clear. It is also not clear if they will return to the area in large numbers again. I don't believe that the population is suffering, but they might just be relocating. This year I heard that more were reported at Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia. Thousands of cranes still make the trip down to points south and to Florida, and the non migratory population will stay as long as they can find good habitat. Overall, the success story of the sandhill crane is heartening. At one time there were fewer than 1000 left. But due to conservation efforts they have thrived. They still face threats from habitat loss, pollution, hunting and climate change, but their numbers are currently strong. My friends in Gainesville say that the cranes are gathering and heading north again and people around Kennesaw, north of Atlanta are seeing them now, too. Unfortunately here in Athens, we are far enough away from their flyways that we don't often get to experience the huge flocks flying overhead. I saw one lone crane flying over Athens last fall but never heard the rattling call that thrills my heart. For that experience I still need to head closer to I-75. Even better, maybe one day I can visit the Platte River in Nebraska in the spring. I can only imagine how wonderful it would be to hear the sound of 500,000 plus cranes calling. Meanwhile, my socks are mementos of the cranes I love. But I worry that they will wear out one day. Maybe I need to find something a bit more permanent to hold onto. Like a tattoo? Hmmm.

A Florida Sandhill Crane family I saw at Circle B Bar Reserve last spring

Discover Florida!

Limpkin Chicks at Sweetwater Wetlands Park

One of the things I like about traveling is being adventurous and open to exploring new places. When I'm in another city or state or country, I seek out interesting restaurants, museums and parks. I get on those hop on/ hop off double decker bus tours and wander international museums with my English language audio guide. I scope out nature refuges and botanical gardens on Google maps. I want to make the most of my short stay. But when I'm at home, I'm not nearly as creative and resourceful, and I'm a terrible procrastinator. I get into a routine and stick close to home. You know how it goes--you can live in a city for years and never explore the famous local attraction just around the corner, unless an out of town visitor comes and you want to show them all the best things. So it was when my family and I were in Florida. We lived there for nearly 20 years, and yet in all that time, I never made the trip to the greater Orlando area to visit the numerous nature parks down there. I always meant to, but just never got around to it. Sure, we figured out how to go to the theme parks with our kids and out of town visitors, and drove to the airport all the time, but it always seemed too difficult to drive all the way down there to watch birds and hike for a day. But last month I finally remedied that. My husband had a week-long meeting in Orlando, so as soon as I learned that we were going, I got busy and plotted out my exploring route. I was finally going to see Merritt Island, Disney Wilderness and Circle B Bar Preserve! I guess what it took for me to really start to explore Florida was to come as a visitor.

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks at Sweetwater Wetlands Park

We started our trip with a short stay in Gainesville, where I crammed in quick visits to the parks that were so familiar when we lived there. And they are spectacular parks. This is part of the reason why I can almost forgive myself for putting off exploring more in central Florida. Gainesville has a lot going on. Now that I live firmly inland and in the Piedmont (I love saying that) the coastal areas, swamps and sandhills of Florida are very exotic and exciting. And there is an incredible amount of wildlife. I'm not sure if Floridians realize how extraordinary this is. When you live there, you can get used to seeing eagles, cranes and osprey flying overhead. A Great Egret standing in a retention pond is no big deal. Alligators, schmalligators. Ho hum. But not for me. I'm a tourist now! It had been a year since my last visit and I was pretty jazzed at all the critters around me.

Florida's unbelievable nature on display at Circle B Bar Reserve

In Gainesville, I made sure to visit the spectacular Sweetwater Wetlands Park with my photo buddy, Maralee, and got my Limpkin, Common Gallinule, and Osprey fix out of the way. Most of the birds were raising young and I saw numerous Limpkin chicks learning to eat exotic apple snails. This is a cool story. When I was first learning about birds in Gainesville, about 12 years ago, Limpkins were rare in this part of the state. Their food source, the Florida Apple Snail, was disappearing, displaced by the larger, exotic Island Apple Snail. But 5-6 years ago more Limpkins were appearing in the region and people realized that the Limpkins were learning to eat the bigger, tougher snails. After they figured out how to pry them open, it was all over. Limpkins everywhere. And soon they told the endangered Snail Kites and now a few of them have been hanging out in Gainesville for the past 2 years. Perhaps they will also adapt and thrive. One can hope. Anyway, I watched dozens of juvenile Limpkins fussing for adults to feed them huge, gloppy snails. Maralee and I also made a short visit to catch up with our friend, the Ditch. It was lovely, as always, buzzing and fluttering and alive with Sundews, Butterwort and Ladies Tresses Orchids. It was exciting to have to watch out for Cottonmouths again (we didn't see any) as we scrambled through the tall, wet grass. We don't have them up here in North Georgia.

Anhinga drying her wings at Sweetwater Wetlands Park

Glossy Ibis at Sweetwater Wetlands Park

 

Limpkin adult feeding an apple snail to a chick at Sweetwater Wetlands Park

Bobolink at Sweetwater Wetlands Park

Red-winged Blackbird at Sweetwater Wetlands Park

Common Gallinule and Chick at Sweetwater Wetlands Park

Osprey with Chick at Sweetwater Wetlands Park

Ladies Tresses Orchids in the Ditch

Little Metalmark Butterfly in the Ditch

I couldn't leave Gainesville without stopping at Morningside Nature Center. I only had a little while there, but I did see the beautiful Cypress Dome, still full of water after last season's storms, and the incredible Long Leaf Pine Sandhill. 

Cypress Dome from the Boardwalk at Morningside Nature Center

Sandhill at Morningside Nature Center

Pinewoods Milkweed (Asclepias humistrata) at Morningside Nature Center

On our last day in town, my husband and I made it over to La Chua trail at Paynes Prairie State Preserve, to visit with my former fellow Sunday trail volunteer, Helene. Most of the trail is closed currently as a result of flooding from last year's hurricanes. Thank goodness for the terrific raised board walk that allows visitors to see at least a little of the basin when the wet prairie is flooded. Looking over the railing of the boardwalk, I had the perfect vantage to see the smaller things in the water and mud, such as snakes. The water snakes were very active and I saw 5 or six, in addition to a lovely Ribbon Snake.

Ribbon Snake at La Chua Trail

And then we were off to Orlando for more adventure. Our hotel was right next to the Disney resorts and was a beautiful, tropical vacation zone. On the days when I was not away on adventures, I enjoyed walking around the lake and nature trails at the hotel. I saw quite a bit of wildlife there, golf course and tennis courts notwithstanding. I could have just stayed there and had a fine time, but I had other plans.

Bird of Paradise Flower at the Hotel

Great Egret at the Hotel Lake

Anhinga (aka "Water Turkey") at the Hotel Lake

The first morning I drove east for nearly 2 hours to Merritt Island, near the Canaveral National Seashore, where I planned to explore the Black Point Wildlife Drive. I had heard about this place for years and it was very exciting to finally be seeing it. I will admit right now that I did it backwards. I had planned to go to the visitors center, buy a Federal Duck Stamp to get me into national wildlife refuges for the next year, and use the restroom. (Did I mention that it was a 2 hour drive?) But when I mistakenly got to the entrance of the wildlife drive first, I realized too late that I was on a one way, no going back, 7 mile long dirt road. So I changed plans, paid at the iron ranger box, and drove along, birding from the car and hoping to find a porta potty. The wildlife was spectacular. There were so many birds that it was very hard to count, and I was keeping a bird list. I counted 30 species, and I'm not all that great at identifying shorebirds! But nature was calling and I decided I needed to zip through the loop and come back on a second trip, paying more attention to detail. At about the 3/4 mark, there was a rest area with bathrooms and a walking trail, so I stopped there. Much better. I finished the loop and then drove back to the beginning, hoping to see the visitors center somewhere along the way. But it was on a different turnoff, so I decided to drive the loop again and go the visitors center on the way home. The second time around was just as nice and I had a better idea of where to watch. I kept my eyes open for Avocets, but never found any. I did see Eagles, Reddish Egrets, Black Necked Stilts, Black Skimmers and Roseate Spoonbills, all of which are birds that don't usually make their way to Athens. Alas, when I finally made it to the visitors center, it was just closing. But they let me explore the grounds and boardwalk around the lake after the gates closed, so I was satisfied and tired out after a long day. Take my advice if you go plan to go there--go to the visitors center first.

Semi-palmated Plovers at Black Point Wildlife Drive

Black Racer at Black Point Wildlife Drive

Reddish Egret and Tri-Colored Heron at Black Point Wildlife Drive

Roseate Spoonbill at Black Point Wildlife Drive

The next day I drove 35 miles south from our hotel, past the turnoff to the Disney Resorts, to the Nature Conservancy's Disney Wilderness Preserve. It was my first visit to a Nature Conservancy property and I was very impressed. The property was immaculate and beautifully maintained. I was met at the entrance by a pair of Wild Turkeys and it just got better after that. Next I encountered a Sandhill Crane near the parking lot, followed by a pair of Eastern Meadowlarks by the trailhead. I headed out with my map and supplies, confident that I could walk the entire trail system. But I underestimated how sunny and humid Florida can be, and I soon became too tired to complete it all, so I walked just the more moderate Red Loop. As I walked through their lovingly maintained fire-dependent Long Leaf Pine sandhills, I couldn't help but note the irony that I was walking through the real Florida on "Disney" property. But regardless of how it got there, I was also very thankful that various agencies had come together to preserve this important property at the headwaters of the Everglades. I saw loads of Zebra Swallowtail butterflies and Woodstorks soared overhead all morning. At the end of my hike I got a great look at a Swallow-tailed Kite. I thank my friend Grace for recommending this spot.

Eastern Meadowlark at Disney Wilderness Preserve

Swallow-tailed Kite at Disney Wilderness Preserve

The "Real Florida" at Disney Wilderness Preserve

On the final day, I drove 40 miles to the west to the Circle B Bar Reserve in Polk County, between Tampa and Orlando. My birding friends in Gainesville all talked about this place but the timing never worked out for me to go with them. Now that I've visited, I can understand why they felt it was so special. The park has a great visitors center with fun exhibits for children, and it appears that they serve a lot of school groups. It is reassuring to know that kids all over this region of Florida can be exposed to a vibrant nature discovery center such as this. The park is very protective of the abundant wildlife, with signs directing visitors to take special care around nesting owls. Fellow visitors pointed out an adult and juvenile Barred Owl in a tree right over the main path, and later I heard 2 more calling back and forth. They also require commercial photographers to obtain a permit, which was unusual. But knowing how people can behave with their cameras and drones, I can appreciate wanting some accountability. Because I sell some of my work, they had me apply and now I have my official photographer's permit card. Pretty nifty! One of the main trails, Alligator Alley, was closed, I think due to storm damage. But there were plenty of places for me to go and I saw Alligators, Turtles, wading birds galore, as well as Marsh Rabbits, an Opossum, and a family of Sandhill Cranes. I'm so happy that I finally made it to this wonderful nature park.

Purple Gallinule at Circle B Bar Reserve

Alligator, Schmalligator. A big one crossing the path in front of me at Circle B Bar Reserve

Opossum rambling up the path, Circle B Bar Reserve

Sandhill Crane Family at Circle B Bar Reserve

Barred Owl Adult and Juvenile at Circle B Bar Reserve

So after 9 days in Florida, I went back home, content that I spent my time well. I chalked a big group of parks off of my "must visit" list. We even fit in a half day at the other Disney and had a pretty great time on Space Mountain and the other rides. It was fun to discover Florida. But I think I learned my lesson and won't let 20 years roll by before I explore Georgia properly. I'm getting the map ready now!

If You Build it, They Will Come. And Then What?

Once an Urban Habitat 

I recently learned that the yard at our old house in Florida is being re-landscaped, a year after we sold it. As is their right, the new owners are making the house their own, including the garden. We are doing the same with our new home. They may have plans for new flower patches, but for now the colorful array of native wildflowers and butterfly host plants that I put in over the span of 10 years has been removed and is being replaced with sod. I feel heartbroken about it, but I can also see that the yard as I left it took a certain amount of specific care (that I was willing to give) or it would quickly get out of hand. It was probably a lot crazier than many people are comfortable with. I was always on the lookout for sprouts from aggressive plants so I could pick them while they were small and easy to control. Because the yard was my baby, I knew what the weeds looked like and when to start yanking out spiderwort, pipevine, blue curls and goldenrod before they took over. The new owners may have initially intended to keep the garden but perhaps it just got to be too much work for them to keep up with. Or maybe they didn't like that kind of yard. I get that. A wildlife habitat yard is not for everyone. And it is their house, to do with what they choose. I wish that they weren't replacing the garden with sod, which is a terrible waste of water and has no wildlife value, but that is another story.

By Mid Summer, it Could Get Crazy

The thing that is nagging at me the most is the loss of habitat. We had created a wildlife sanctuary in an urban neighborhood, and now it is gone. There were a lot of beautiful and interesting native plants in our yard, some rare or endangered that I rescued and propagated. We rarely had to water and never used fertilizers or pesticides. We composted the fallen leaves in place as mulch. What is going to happen to the native bees and butterflies that used the nectar and host plants in the yard? Where will the tiny pinewoods snakes, glass lizards and southern toads hunt and hide? I planted foxtail grasses and berry bushes, and left the seed heads on flowers in the winter for the birds. Will they be expecting to find seeds in that space when they migrate next year? Where will the families of brown thrashers who tossed through the leaf mulch go for their bugs? What happens to wildlife when we create safe spaces for them, but then take it away? This must happen all the time. Homes switch owners. People move. Neighborhoods change. Yards are redone. Empty lots get developed. But what happens to the wildlife? I guess the creatures move on and adapt, if they can. If there are other suitable habitats nearby, which is not always the case, especially in the city. I know of only a handful of wild, native yards in our former neighborhood, so I worry. I tend to anthropomorphize, and I keep imagining bewildered pipevine swallowtails, bees and baltimore orioles trying to find their way back to a home that is no longer there. But short of some sort of homeowner's covenant that requires nature friendly landscapes, you can't force future owners of property to carry on the plans of the past inhabitants. So what can you do? Is creating a backyard nature habitat ultimately futile? I would like to think not. In the end, I would venture that, to mangle Tennyson, "'tis better to have created a garden and lost it than to never have created one at all". We made a difference, if only for a few years. One thing that could help would be to make sure that the wildlife garden you create is not the only one in your vicinity. If you are going to create a backyard nature habitat, encourage your neighbors to plant at least a little patch of sanctuary in their yard, too, so that the loss of one habitat won't be catastrophic.

Brown Thrasher Feeding Chick

Woodland Poppymallow (Callirhoe papaver), Endangered and Rescued

Glass Lizard on the Front Porch

Pipevine Swallowtail Eggs in the Front Yard

But the question remains--what happens to the wild places after they have been preserved? What happens when the next generation does not share the conservation ethic of its predecessors? Can any place be preserved forever? This is playing out all over the country. Our national program of wilderness preservation in National and State Parks and public land, "the best idea America ever had", is being viewed with new sets of eyes. These eyes do not see wild majesty that should be left alone to protect it for the future, as President Theodore Roosevelt did when he dedicated the Grand Canyon as a National Monument, saying "Leave it as it is. You cannot improve on it; not a bit. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it. What you can do is to keep it for your children, your children's children and for all who come after you, as one of the great sights which every American, if he can travel at all, should see. Keep the Grand Canyon as it is." These new eyes don't see the point. They see instead vast tracts of wasted opportunity. Empty land for off-road recreation or new sub-divisions, untapped resources to be exploited, money to be made. Anti-government activists in the West occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon for weeks in a violent takeover, claiming that the land belonged "to the people", not to the government. My beloved Paynes Prairie State Park Preserve, as well as other state parks in Florida, is being seriously examined by the Governor and the aptly named Department of Natural Resources as a potential source of grazing, logging and hunting fees. Oil derricks pump and chug across the beautiful and remote high desert of Utah. It is so discouraging. Personally, I think we should be preserving more, not less of our land, and am intrigued by the idea proposed by biologist E. O. Wilson who believes that we should set aside half of the earth, free from people, to protect our planet's biodiversity. Our fragile interdependent web of life is at risk from human activity and we are all going to suffer if we don't act to protect as many of the earth's biological systems as we can. We humans are not alone on this planet.

Somewhere in Desolation Canyon, Utah

On a happier note, we have a new wildlife garden in the early stages at our new home in Georgia. It is still very new and young, and we had a native plant landscaper start the planting for us this time so it wouldn't take 10 years. Soon it will be humming and buzzing and alive with wildlife. And at least 3 other houses on our street have similar gardens, so we have strength in numbers. But someday someone else will move into our house or our neighbors' houses and they may want a new garden. And then what will happen to the wild places when we are gone?

Starting Again