THE FIRST TIME WITH THE FLOCK
As sandhill cranes move north, curious viewers gather in awe to witness the massive migration.
JOYITA MALLIK
In March 2005, I had the opportunity to watch the world's largest congregation of migrating cranes at the Rowe Sanctuary near Grand Island.
At about 5:30 p.m., after learning about the cranes from volunteers at the sanctuary, we went to the blinds - cottage-like structures made of hay bales with narrow windows overlooking the Platte River.
The condition of the river surprised me. I knew water was being depleted from the Platte but had never imagined the water level to be so low. From a distance it looked like a muddy, water-logged country road.
It was still sunny, and there were hardly any cranes to be seen. It was cold but bearable, and I had no idea how cold it would get later.
The volunteers told us to be quiet, and we tried to find a cozy spot.
My friend and I are short, and even while standing on our toes we were not able to look out of the windows of the blind. We stood on a hay bale to get a better view, and soon we could see a few scattered flocks of birds flying from the east.
Evening was setting in, and we could see more birds coming from the east like faint specks. I had to really strain my eyes to see them. At first, it looked kind of sinister. I had once seen a horror movie in which evil flying objects came out of semidarkness, slowly becoming prominent. But as the cranes started taking shape, they didn't look scary at all. After a few more flocks arrived, the initial illusion was gone and I started focusing on the cranes.
As more and more came, it sounded like spectators at a football field cheering for their team. By about 6:30 p.m., the flock of birds started getting larger and larger.
As more birds came, there was a terrible commotion in the air. Some cranes landed on the sandbars like paratroopers, swooping down until they were close to the surface and then extending their legs to touch the ground.
They were so noisy I thought there was no need for us to bother to keep quiet.
But listening carefully, I could discern the voices of the cranes, differing in their shrillness. One could almost follow their conversations.
"Hey, wait!"
"Where are you guys going?"
"Wait for me!"
Looking up at the sky, all I could see were cranes - some close by, some at a distance. They came from all directions. This continued for some time, and then there was a temporary lull with very few cranes in the sky. Most had settled on the banks of the river and were having a nice, noisy chat.
Just when we thought we had seen the entire congregation, a new flock arrived, screaming at the top of their voices. This happened many times. No cranes to be seen in the sky, and then all of a sudden a new flock would come in screaming.
Meanwhile the sun had set and it was quite dark. The cranes were indistinguishable from the river-bank. It was also getting very cold, and my enthusiasm began to dwindle. Our guide told us to prepare to leave.
Just then, there was a gunshot followed by a great commotion. The shot had frightened the cranes, and they started flying all over. We heard later that someone living on the other side of the river shoots into the air to drive the cranes away because they keep his family awake at night.
The cranes settled down again in a few minutes, and the volunteers led the way out of the blind.
At 4:30 the next morning, we went back to see the cranes take off from their roosting grounds. Some of the cranes were awake and chattering. From the sound, we could figure out they had moved west from where we had seen them land the previous night.
It was dark and very cold. I was praying for the sun to come up soon so it would get warmer.
Then, with the first rays of the sun, we could see the cranes flocked together at a distance, but it was not possible to discern them individually.
My limbs were numb, and the wait seemed endless.
Suddenly, without any warning, all the cranes took off with great noise. It was amazing. It seemed as if they received some central command to fly at the same time.
The sky was filled with cranes flying in every direction, and all the waiting in the cold was worth it.
