August 13, 1984 - Sandhill Crane proves ElusivejPage 20, The Suffolk Times August,2, ;1:984
Sandhill Crane Proves Elusive
By PAUL STOUTENBURGH
Every activity has its high point. The
golfer looks to the day when he gets a
hole in one, the pitcher looks to the no-
hitter, the fisherman hopes for that once
in a lifetime whopper, the cardplayer
looks for that royal flush. All anticipate
the long shot that will be remembered
and talked about forever.
Well, I almost had one of those special
occasions last week when Dan Latham
called to tell me of a particularly
interesting bird in his fields in Orient.
Visions of upland plover or perhaps buff
breasted sandpiper flashed through my
mind, for they occasionally stop off on
their migration south. But what Dan had
was nothing as small as either of those.
As a matter of fact, the bird he was
calling about is one of the largest birds
we have, the sandhill crane. This bird
usually roams the great open spaces of
our midwest from Manitoba to Texas.
This bird, now rare for the east coast,
once roamed our area, but as man moved
in and gradually moved westward,
hunting the cranes for food, he
eliminated the species before him. Now
the only place you see this huge bird is
out west in open prairie country. Of
course, when winter comes they move
south and that is where we saw them last
year in the farmland of Florida.
Sandhill cranes have good reason not
to trust man. To approach the crane by
foot is near to impossible. Dan was able
to get a positive identification by noting
the red on the head when his tractor
moved close enough to the bird before it
flew. The raspy call was another sign of
identification and, of course, its huge
wing span of over six feet told us it
couldn't be anything but a sandhill crane.
How it ever got here is hard to say.
Usually sightings of such rare birds
come after great storms. Whether the big
rains and blows recently were
responsible is hard to tell. The bird was
here for about two weeks, Dan said,
which would have been during those
stormy periods.
Stalking the Sandhill Crane
Needless to say, when Dan called, I
immediately rounded up some anxious
birders who wanted to see this rare bird.
This was a first for some. We all kept our
fingers crossed, hoping it would be there
when we arrived.
We pulled into the busy farm and drove
around the barn. Trucks were coming in
from the fields with fresh produce and
there was an air of things going on all
over. Dan just happened to pull up; he
reaffirmed his description of the bird and
pointed out where he had seen it. "Once
in the cucumbers up lot, then over by the
corn and along that hedge row."
That was enough for us. So the two cars
headed along the farm roads leading
down to the bay. Water was still standing
in puddles and we wondered if we'd get
hung up in one of them. Every once in a
while we'd stop, get out and scan the rich
fields that spread out around us. We
passed the homestead of Roy Latham.
How thrilled this great naturalist would
Cheese p�
\ r MAIN ROAD, SOUTHOLD • 765 1808 lot
i
The North Fork's exciting ourmet Shop, )
featuring an extensive range of specialty foods. °
International Cheeses & Biscuits
a Pats, Salads & Spreads a
a Fresh -daily Rolls, Bagels & Pastries
Cheesecakes, Party Platters & Gifts Q
All Butter Croissants
Spices, Oils, Condiments
NOW FEATURING /
(�
Brief mere Farms Pies & Breads (r
Silver Palate salad dressings, nuts, and more.
1
OPEN DAILY • SUNDAYS TILL NQON Annette LaTorre'
TIC TAC TOYS
Half Off
Summer
Clothes!
Love Lane, Mattituck
298 -5005
have been to see this sandhill crane
hunting for insects, a snake, or even a
mouse, on his farm.
We had no luck there so back to the
Main Road we headed east. There people
were picking cucumbers on a slow -
moving machine that looked like some
great bird with its wings outstretched.
On each side men were lying over the
rows picking cucumers and putting them
on a noisy conveyor belt that delivered
them to a bagger in the center of the
contraption. The operator was a good
sport and stopped the noisy machine so I
could ask if they had seen our bird. "Saw
it a couple of days ago," he said. "He was
right down there. Darndest big thing I
ever saw."
We were encouraged and proceeded
down pot -holed roads to lonely fields but
no sandhill crane. On and on we looked,
our cars looking more likelandrovers
coming out of the bush in Africa. Mud
had splattered everywhere. We were
close, but no prize today. Perhaps
tomorrow. But even a second trip proved
fruitless. We'd not give up, though, for by
now half of Orient knew we were looking
for this most evasive and rare bird -- the
sandhill crane.
CJ
'84 Z.S.
SANDHILL CRANE - -This large
rare bird was sighted in Orient
last week. It comes from the mid -
west and is rarely sighted on the
east coast.
Cl
ASEAFOOD RESTAURANT OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK SERVING LUNCH & DINNER
Long Island Night . Monday Evenings
featuring: Twin Lobster Dinner $15.95
10 % Senior Citizen Discount on Tuesdays
Lunch & Dinner includes complimentary cocktail
Kenney's Rd., off County Rd. 48
By the Sound, Southold • 765 -1290
AIR CONDITIONED MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED
d S ec`13
Mon., Sin 11:30 - 4PM
Sat. -
Flounder, Pot Roost'
parm
Veal OrDEhSERV OFFEE
85.95.
y
I' .
resh
Soft Crab..
S
lobsters
pE
N NIGHTS
�t s Fisherman's Rest.
MAIN ROAD, CUTCHOGUE 734 -5155 or 734 -5670'
Open Mon. - Fri. 3:30 - 11:00 p.m.
,1 Sat. & Sun. 11:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.