A Stop Over for 30,000 Sandhill Cranes Right Down the Road

By Mary Dean Cason

Before anyone wants to even think of fall or prepare for the chill that will follow, the Greater Sandhill Cranes have it in their DNA to be planning for winter. The long-legged gray birds, Grus Canadensis, will leave their Great Lakes nesting grounds, which straddle the U.S.-Canadian border, when their internal clocks say it’s time.  Guided by an equally amazing internal compass, they will head south to winter in southern Georgia and Florida. 

Lucky for us, a favorite stopping off place for the long, graceful birds is just forty miles south of Michigan City on US 421 in Medaryville, Indiana.  At the peak of migration—early to mid November—as many as thirty thousand Sandhill cranes will stop and rest at the Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area drawing serious birders and the uninitiated alike in numbers that will rival the number of birds. Though Jasper-Pulaski’s primary purpose is to offer and manage hunting grounds—everything from deer to turkeys—they are also happy to host the largest migration of these amazing birds in the Midwest.

And why Medaryville, you may ask? The cranes likely choose Jasper-Pulaski because it is in direct alignment with their start and end destinations. But experts think it’s more than simple trajectory.

 “The conditions here are perfect,” says Jim Bergens of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which owns and manages the site.  “The cranes depend on wetland habitats for protection and rest. And because the surrounding farmland in this still-rural heartland offers an ample supply of waste grain, small rodents, and insects, Medaryville and Jasper-Pulaski are deluxe accommodations.” And you know how it is, word of beak travels. This bird tells that bird, and before you know it every nest in the place is booked.

Birds who get a head start, along with ducks, geese and the occasional grouping of endangered Whooping cranes set up camp in Jasper-Pulaski’s 300-acre Goose Pasture as early as late August and early September. The field, which has been sewn with winter wheat acts like chocolate on a pillow for the birds who will stay for as long as three weeks before they head south. 

Getting a Good Look
During daylight hours, you can get a good look at the cranes right from your car as they forage along US 421 and Highway 143 at the approach to Jasper-Pulaski. Drive around the area—the cranes forage the open fields within a ten-mile radius. On the eastern edge of one of the large fields Jasper-Pulaski maintains a large handicap-accessible viewing deck. Here you can survey the winged travelers and if conditions are right groups of birds will take flight directly overhead as they fly into the sun.

Ballet for the Birds
The cranes are not only beautiful; their long necks produce a sound that is trumpet-like. When thousands of them tune up the orchestra effect is nothing less than amazing. Just after sunrise the birds’ trilling calls, which can also sound like a swarm of gaggling teenagers, rise from the group as they begin what can only be called a ballet. In this tribal dance, one crane bows, as if to royalty, then jumps straight into the air. The pair will call in unison, and often one will toss a bit of grass while in relevé.  A courtship ritual occurs in February and March, when the cranes return to nest up north. Experts call this autumn dance a bonding ceremony between lifelong mates.

Visit http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/3091.htm for detailed information about the preserve. Jasper Pulaski is located at 5822 N. Fish and Wildlife Lane in Medaryville. You can reach the visitors desk at (219) 843-4841. Remember the preserve is on Eastern Time.

To see videos of the cranes in peak season, catch them on You Tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7lk-mhX4HE