Sandhill Crane Nest, May 15

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As good fortune would have it, my visit on Sunday afternoon to this Sandhill Crane nest north of the Muskegon River was perfectly timed.

Wading toward the nest, I could hear persistent piping notes, so I expected to find one or two chicks. However, when I pushed past the dense woody brush surrounding the nest, I was surprised that the calls were not coming from the solitary chick but from the egg! A close-up photo shows just the tip of a bill poking from that egg.

After a few hasty shots, I quickly departed the area so that the emerging chick and its parents could finish the laborious extrication.

While Sandhill Cranes have almost certainly bred in Muskegon County for the last several years, I believe this is first actual nest documented in the county. Larry Walkinshaw, likely the world's foremost crane expert in his time, resided between Muskegon State Park and Pioneer Park for many years. During his research travels, he tracked down numerous crane nests in the Upper and Lower Peninsulas, but I am not aware of any local nests that he may have found. This is not surprising given how less numerous cranes were decades ago.

I can certainly remember when cranes were an uncommon sight around Muskegon. Nowadays, hundreds of migrants can be viewed from the dunes, and public lands like Muskegon State Game Area and the Muskegon Wastewater System now host them all summer. Nests such as this further demonstrate the remarkable recovery of this majestic species.
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Brian Johnson
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