Whooping crane desplaying for patient observers (Photo by Tim Wallace)
This is the first blog in a while, reflecting a new arrangement with my boss whereby I will continue to blog but less frequently. I also pinched a nerve in my neck which makes driving less than fun. Coupling that with the hot and not very birdy summer and manuscript anxieties, I just have not been out in the field much. But this past weekend Cindy and I went up to Baraboo, Wisconsin to visit our friend Lizzie Condon, who is interning at the International Crane Foundation (ICF).
Should you ever have a deep passion about some great task and feel despair that it exceeds your capacity or resources to accomplish, stop and consider the ICF. Ron Sauey and George Archibald met as students at Cornell University in 1971 and two years later they established ICF on a horse farm belonging to Sauey’s parents. In 1985 they received a pair of black-necked cranes, making their facility the only place in the world that held all fifteen species of cranes. Three years after that they were actively involved in restoring wetlands in Vietnam. Today ICF has all fifteen cranes species on display, sponsors a variety of educational programs, breeds cranes for release in the wild, and works on the ground in countries around the world to help ensure that cranes will flourish.
Lizzie is an educational intern at ICF and her days off are Sundays and Mondays. We met her on Sunday around 11:30 at the headquarters. Tim Wallace joined us but he had to be at work the following day so he drove up by himself. I had been to ICF years before and walked around on my own, but to be accompanied by Lizzie provided an entirely different dimension. She was able to give us the lowdown on not just the species, but the individual birds on display.
One of the first birds we encountered was Slidell the African Grey Crowned Crane. This is a crane that was raised by humans and imprinted on them. As a female crane who thinks she is a person, she has no interest in other cranes and holds deep antipathy towards female Homo sapiens. When the mood strikes her, she can either manifest aggressive or courting behaviors, depending on the sex of the person she encounters.
Siberian crane, rarest crane in the world (Photo by Tim Wallace)
Siberian cranes are the most endangered species in the world. Two of the three populations are either absolutely (wintered in India) or functionally (winters in Iran) gone, so there is but one left (winters along the Yangtze River in China). They are the most aquatic of cranes, and have less feathering on the head than other species. The two on display, O’Keefe and Pieper, vocalize often and become the dominant back ground noise. Where else will a cell phone conversation be drowned out by bugling Siberian cranes?
Probably the highlight for me was the Whooping Crane display that features a lovely open water marsh in which Chip and Crockett can forage and play. When we stopped during our first circuit the two were on a berm at the far end of the display. Their long necks were visible through the prairie grasses. We came back later as Lizzie thought it would be likely they would eventually move towards the pond. This pair had been provided with a fertile egg which Chip successfully brooded. The youngster seemed to be healthy and active but wound up drowning. I mused that the adults perhaps saw the water in a negative light now, but that was no doubt anthropomorphizing. Indeed, after waiting a bit, Chip ventured out of the grass and began feeding in the pond. She stalked prey unseen to us in knee deep water, occasionally extending her neck to grab something. We had dinner plans at 6, so Lizzie had to nudge us a bit to keep to our schedule. A visit to ICF is a must if you are living in or visiting the Midwest. If you were not a craniac when you arrived, you will be at the end.
Tim bid us adieu and the three of us drove to Baraboo to meet Curt Meine. Curt is a writer and scholar who has worked with numerous environmental organizations. As a graduate student at University of Wisconsin, he wrote his doctoral dissertation on Aldo Leopold, which later was published as a book. (His most recent book is a fascinating collection of essays called Correction Lines.) Curt, who is from the Chicago region, contacted me last fall when he saw my request for information on ppigeons on the Wisconsin list serve. Curt seems to know just about everyone in the conservation movement and so it was inspiring to hear him talk about the innovative and courageous things people are doing to help keep the planet livable. Then there was the digression where we learned about the two graduate students he recently met- the guy is working on how human sounds affect bird populations and the gal is writing her thesis on the history of sexual devices. Perhaps someday the two can author a monograph on the Picidae.
American Gothic II (Photo by Lizzie Condon)
If there was an unseen presence that permeated our little trip it was that of Aldo Leopold, the brilliant ecologist and philosopher whose moving prose I have commented on before. His articulation of a “land ethic” goes to the heart of modern conservation. On the faculty of the University of Wisconsin for many years, he bought a piece of land near Baraboo, on the banks of the Wisconsin River, and built a cabin (“The Shack”) where he and the family spent the summers. His classic Sand County Almanac was conceived here. The Leopold Foundation has a lovely education center surrounded by prairie plants. We walked around the property on a trail to the shack. Mosquitoes were bad (they seemed to prefer Lizzie) but cleared up a bit in the open areas. It was a privilege to walk on such hallowed ground.
Lizzie standing in front of an African wetland.
ICF staffers use crane puppets to feed baby cranes so they don't bond with people. Here one of the puppets escaped and savagely attacked Cindy. Lizzie and Joel are so surprised they lack the appropriate facial expressions. (Phot by Tim Wallace)
Love the shack photo.