Bald Eagle Attacks Sandhill Crane

The photos in this blog entry are from Stan Tekiela and Amber Burnette.

This year's trip to Nebraska was just chock full of "Holy Crap" moments. I mean, the common crane (in the above photo) that we saw within thirty minutes of arrival to the area after driving all day was almost too much to hope for. I just found out that it's on the American Birding Association Blog and is classified as a Code 4 Bird (Casual--Species not recorded annually in the ABA Checklist Area, but with six or more total records—including three or more in the past 30 years—reflecting some pattern of occurrence). As a field trip leader you kind of wonder how you will top a sighting like that for the rest of the weekend--but top it, we did!

The following documented behavior is the type of stuff that a girl like me reads about in magazines and wonders if I'll ever have a chance to witness in real life. Again, I want to thank Stan and Amber for letting me use their photos in the blog to share it with you. Click on the photos if you wish to see the larger version.

We were watching a group of cranes forage in a field when we noticed something was spooking them and causing them to fly off. I was in the bus with half the group and Amber and Stan were outside with the rest getting shots of cranes in flight.

That's when we all noticed an adult bald eagle in hot pursuit of one of the cranes. Somehow the eagle had managed to get one crane separated from the flock. I started shouting, "It's going for the crane, it's going for the crane, it's going for the crane!" I wondered if the others outside the bus noticed, but Amber's enthusiastic yelling told me they had. Everyone was shouting on the bus, it was like an intense football game but the crowd was unsure of which team to root for--we all loved eagles and we all loved cranes (I think it's a safe assumption that for Raptor Center alums like Amber and me--we were on Team Eagle).

The bald eagle closed the gap in such a short amount of time, it pumped its wings hard and was soon on top of the crane. It flew past the crane just a little, dove at it and missed.
Here is the eagle making a second attack.The sandhill crane breaks free and starts to drop.

The eagle makes a quick grab a second time.

The eagle has the crane in its talsons and is flying while carrying the crane upside down, wings open!

The bald eagle is holding the sandhill crane for one or two seconds before...

The eagle lost its grip and the crane starts to fly away with the eagle coming after it.
The eagle gives one last chase before breaking off from the crane. What was interesting to me was that the crane and the eagle ended up flying right over our bus. As the crane flew over, the eagle appeared to slow and change direction. I'm left with so many questions from this encounter. Did the eagle not want to fly over humans? Did the crane luck out or fly over us on purpose? We did not see where either bird ended up, but did the eagle make a wide circle and wait out the exhausted crane? Did the crane fly away in its weakened state and become coyote chow? How deep did the talons get?

Out of all the sandhill cranes that took off, why that one bird? Did the eagle see something different or was it just that the crane foolishly went away from the safety of the flock? This was an adult eagle--has it killed a crane successfully before?

Such a cool encounter and yet so many questions unanswered.

Butt Load Of Snow Geese

I'm doing another interview on Talk Shoe, this time with a show called Conscious Living on Wednesday. It will be interesting to see if there are the same naughty forum questions as the other show I was on. Then I'll know if it was me bringing them out or just a weird one time thing. If you're interested in listening, go to the Talk Shoe site on Wednesday at 4pm Eastern Time.

This was a massive flock of snow geese that we found on Friday just driving around Nebraska. It's interesting that the focus of the Platte River birding in Nebraska is the sandhill crane, but the sheer numbers of snow geese are more intriguing to me. When Stan asked about doing a field trip to Nebraska through his nature center, I suggested early March. There may be fewer cranes, but enormous amounts of snow geese. And really, the numbers for both are still pretty amazing--60,000 sandhill cranes, 2 million snow geese.

I think this is one of my favorite photos from the trip. This is just a long, long line of snow geese. As cool as this is, it may be cause for environmental concern. According to Birds of North America Online the current estimates of the snow goose population is between 5 and 6 million, a number that may be environmentally unsustainable. When snow geese return to their breeding grounds, they pretty much eat the crap out of the habitat which in the long term could mean that they eat away the habitat so quickly that it won't recover for future breeding seasons causing a crash not only in their population but other species like sandpipers and phalaropes. Despite all of that, it's still pretty overwhelming to witness.

Below is a video of the above flock flying over our heads. You can hear Stan, my buddy Amber and myself giggling like fools. Non Birding Bill says it sounds like we are high.

Revamping Of Bird Girl

I interrupt my scheduled entries of Nebraska birding to point out Adventures of Bird Girl. I was checking out Birder's Web Ring and wondering about joining when this blog tag caught my eye:

Adventures of Bird Girl
The birding adventures of a 13 year old bird expert and nature enthusiast.

A thirteen year old bird expert? I am intrigued! I went to the site and LOVED the tagline (and the angst coming through). Check it out:

I am a 13 year old bird-watcher, or birder. I often have had to deal with adults (birders) assuming, because I am young, I don't actually know what I am talking about. I proved with my old website that, if I kept my age anonymous, people took me seriously and actually found me quite knowledgeable about birds, even after knowing my age. I have also had to deal with people telling me how geeky or nerdy birding is. I will tell you right now not to waste your time because there is no way I will ever be convinced that I am a geek, or that birding isn't cool. I love nature and wildlife more than anything in the world.

I think this is the blog to watch. In some ways, I feel like I'm seeing myself 20 years ago. We even blog on similar topics. Here's my entry on bird paraphernalia last May and here is a recent post that she did on her bird stuff--I love that we have the same socks.

So, go over and give Bird Girl some love and make sure she knows that not only is she not geeky, but not alone in her quest.

Coldest Day In The Blind

Of course, it makes sense--I have about 80 million photos and entries from Nebraska (not to mention a few hundred emails and messages to deal with) and I'm wasting hours because blogger won't load photos (insert Yosemite Sam tirade here).

I have to say that Friday morning in the crane viewing blind at Rowe Sanctuary was the coldest morning I have ever spent in a blind--my camera batteries were totally hating me and I wasn't bummed when the cranes took off before the best morning light for photography (above photo).

Like my cold observation blind fashion? I borrowed the Fargo Hat from Non Birding Bill. When I was watching the forecast throughout the week it predicted temperatures in the teens--that's chilly, but doable to me. When I woke up and checked the weather Friday morning, the temperature was 7. When I checked right before we loaded the van at 4:45am, the temperature was 6.2. Thanks to Stan's iPhone we were able to get a temperature update while standing in the crane blind...1 degree Fahrenheit. I was seriously beginning to question my sanity. I had pushed for coming to Nebraska in early March because we would see millions of snow geese as well as thousands of cranes. I didn't think about the possibility of it being this cold in the blind at dawn.

And just to prove that I wasn't being a wiener about the weather, take a look at the above photo of a crane in flight. Notice anything weird? If not, take a look at this next photo.

Do you see the difference? Note how the legs are hanging out in back? It was so cold, that as the sandhill cranes would take off from the river they would tuck up each leg into their body. I watched one individual do it. As soon as it had cleared the ground, one leg bent forward and then the whole thing disappeared into its belly feathers and a few seconds later it repeated the same movement with the other foot.

Here is a photo of a whole bunch of cranes in the air. Some crane experts said that only the young tend to do that, but on Friday morning--all the cranes were doing it. It seems to me that the legs in back would act like a rudder--I wonder how much they are affected in flight with them tucked in? The did look like large, strange geese in that flight position.

After we left the blind, the birds went to the field where they usually forage, but in the cold temps, they seemed more focused on hunkering down and staying warm. Above are some sandhill cranes and cackling geese.

More in coming...

Common Crane In Nebraska

Below is the photo of the common crane that we saw within 30 minutes of arriving to Rowe Sanctuary in Nebraska on Thursday night. This photo was taken by Stan Tekiela:

I can't believe our group saw such a rare bird on our trip! I'm also happy to report that others have seen the crane, here is an email from Linda Brown that was posted on NEBirds and has detailed directions for all you big year people who are wanting to go see it:

This morning we followed directions from Sharon Stiteler and Amber Burnett who are part of the Minnesota group of 10 who saw the common crane on Thursday, we drove to the spot after taking in the sunrise at the Gibbon Bridge viewing platform. As we scanned the flock Paul Johnsgard invited us to look at the pale whitish crane about twenty feet in from the west side of the flock. Sure enough I could see the black marking with my naked eye! It helped that all the birds were alert and looking at us so all heads were up and facing us. We put the scope on it and the following persons confirmed the sighting:

Paul Johnsgard, Josef Kren, Jackie Canterbury, Fujiyo Koizumi, Michelle Johnson, Randy Yeager and Linda R. Brown.

Josef, Paul and I drove back so we could give you good directions to the field where it was spotted two days in a row. (I have now been by the field four times in two days and only saw it once. There are two young eagles in the area keeping the flock of sandhills flighty. So, I wish you lots of good luck!)

The GIS coordinates for the crane field (from the road) are 40 degrees,41'940, 098 degrees,46'214. The abandoned eagle nest is at 40 degrees 41'940, 090 degrees,46'648.

1.Directions from Shelton Exit off I-80. Driving directions from Interstate 80, Exit 291, the Shelton exit. Drive south 1.5 miles. The crane field is 1.5 miles west of the Shelton Rd 24th Rd intersection (The field is on 24th-the road going west). The cranes were on the north side of the road. For reference: There is an abandoned eagle nest on the south side of the road 1.9 miles west from the intersection of Shelton Rd and 24th.

2. Directions from Gibbon Exit south off of I-80. Paul wrote out directions from the Gibbon Bridge Crane Viewing Platform. (This large platform is located on about the 5th Platte River channel bridge south of the Gibbon exit off of I-80. This viewing platform is accessed from Elm Island Rd which is the road directly south of the bridge. To see the common crane, drive east of Elm Island Rd to Sodtown Rd. North on Sodtown Rd to 17th, east to Sioux, north to 24th, then east to crane field on north of road. The crane field is 0.4mile east beyond the abandoned eagle nest on the south side of the road.

Linda R. Brown
Lincoln, NE

Where Is The Sky????

Thursday in Nebraska

We saw a super rare bird today! We're not even in Kearney for thirty minutes when Stan says, "Hey, check out that light crane out there."

I was ready to toss it off as light colored plumaged sandhill crane, but when we got it in our binoculars we discovered that it was a common crane! Amber and Stan got photos and I will try to post one in a few days. I called Rowe Sanctuary and apparently we are the first to report it this season. Not sure how to top the rest of the field trip after that one.

There are more geese than cranes right now but it is spectacular. This is mostly a flock of cackling geese with a few snows and greater white fronts thrown in.

We stopped at Forte Kearney and got a kick out of seeing about ten Harris's sparrows where we saw one last year--great little sparrows.

I need to get to bed. We have to meet up at 4am to drive to the blinds and it's going to be cold--14 degrees. It's snowing big fluffy flakes out the hotel window...hope it clears up before morning.

New Digiscoping Camera

I need a new digiscoping camera--my Fuji FinePix E900 has been awesome, but I've dropped it many times, there is a permanent spot on an inner lens, much of the rubber coating is off, and it's covered in proposlis.

Swarovski keeps an up to date list of the cameras that work best with their scopes and one of the top cameras at the moment is the Cannon A570 IS--it's a great camera and it's currently on sale. I got it at B&H for $149!

I got it on Tuesday and took it for a test drive yesterday. The view screen on it is HUGE, I think I'm going to love working with this camera. I wanted to have some working knowledge of the camera before I try it out in Nebraska, but I think the transition is going to be a smooth one.

I remember thinking my Fuji camera has all sorts of settings, but this one has way more bells and whistles--it even has a setting for taking photos in snow--handy in Minnesota. It even has a setting for fireworks, pets, and the macro seems decent. All the photos in this entry were taken with the new camera and I'm pleased with the initial results.

I have to say that I saw a sign of spring in the Twin Cities yesterday. I didn't get a photo, but I saw a female brown-headed cowbird. Oh Joy!

Okay, now I have to get ready to leave for Nebraska.

Cranes Cranes Cranes

What a strange week this has been. I've been trying to catch up on all the work I was behind on from being sick last week and then I got a mysterious email inviting me to dinner...it was none other than Birding Is Not A Crime who just happened to be in town on business. Non Birding Bill even came along and if anyone is curious--BINAC is not an ax murderer and we had a great time full of laughs.

I was on the phone with my mom (who lives in Indiana) the other day and her call waiting went off. It was my sister Monica calling to let her know that her husband Dave spotted sandhill cranes in the field across the street from their house.

So my mom came back to my call and said that she loved talking to me but she really wanted to go see those cranes. Dave took some photos and Monica sen them over. This is in a suburb of Indianapolis and the cranes are taking a break from their migration to feed.

Cranes are just in the air right now, starting their migration. Thursday morning I'm heading out with a group to Nebraska to see some migrating sandhills and hopefully hook up with Paul Johnsgard and maybe even Julie Zickefoose. She's going to be out there for a bluebird convention but she will be busy and we may just be two ships passing in the night.

Keep your eyes open for migrating cranes.

Humans Get A Taste Of Their Own Medicine

A story of vultures taking over human habitat from the Orlando Sentinel.

An army of ravenous vultures is invading this quiet Polk community, ripping shingles from rooftops, chewing on the rubber linings of car doors and windows, and leaving behind an overwhelming stench from their waste.

"They've multiplied. And multiplied. And multiplied until we've been inundated," said Jim Spigner, president of the homeowners association for Floral Lakes, a 55-plus mobile-home community where the birds roost.

Although many residents are demanding help, city officials say little can be done about the hundreds of black and turkey vultures because they are federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Vultures have additional protection under a bird-sanctuary ordinance adopted by Bartow in the 1950s, City Attorney Sean Parker said.

Federal law doesn't allow people to trap or kill vultures, and the city prohibits behavior that would "maltreat, annoy or pursue any bird."

Scaring off the vultures could be considered a violation, resulting in fees up to $500 a day, Bartow officials said. The city plans to amend the rules, but the details have yet to be worked out, Parker said. Hanging up likenesses of dead vultures or using noise are options.

Residents are frustrated by the rules.

James Bruce, 44, estimates damage to two family cars totals $3,000 to $4,000. He said the birds tore the rubber lining from windows and scratched the hood and roof of his daughter's new Ford Fusion and an older Geo Tracker.

The situation conjures images from director Alfred Hitchcock's classic movie The Birds, Bruce said. He and his family spray the vultures with water to scare them away. Other residents chase them off with brooms. Some people are crafting their own gadgets to shoo away the birds, including wooden tablets they bang to make noise and sprinklers that switch on during peak hours for roosting. Yet, the birds still come back.

Spigner, the homeowners association president, said the number of buzzards has drastically increased within the last two years.

"The problem isn't going to go away until they disturb the roost," said Spigner, 64.

t's unknown what attracts a group of buzzards to a certain area, said Dr. Michael Avery, a research biologist. Avery, who leads the National Wildlife Research field office in Gainesville, said it's not uncommon for vultures to settle in neighborhoods. His office gets a few phone calls every week about problems from across the state. More people call during winter season -- from October to March.

According to wildlife experts, it's common vulture behavior to gnaw on rubber and vinyl because the birds use the techniques for devouring animal carcasses.

You can read the rest of the story and watch a video of it here.