Sandhill crane becomes a celebrity in Mount Gretna (PA)

[Donna]

SANDHILL CRANE CLOSEUP 9-09.JPGAnne AnnibaliA sandhill crane at Lake Duffy on the old Railroad Bed Trail between Colebrook and Mount Gretna, Lebanon County.Sandhill cranes are often seen when they migrate down the flyway in the Midwest, but they are an oddity in Pennsylvania.

One of the four-foot-tall birds with a red forehead has taken up residence next to the Lebanon Valley Rail Trail near Mount Gretna. It has become used to the parade of joggers, bicyclists, walkers and horseback riders who pass by.

“I don’t know a lot about birds, but I knew it wasn’t a great blue heron,� said Anne Annibali of West Cornwall Township, who spotted the bird June 15. “I got so excited. I went home and looked it up online, then I thought, ‘I have to tell somebody.’�

She contacted birder Randy Miller of Rapho Township. The bird was seen in the marshy area adjacent to the rail trail as recently as Monday.

Miller said sandhill cranes have been spotted 14 times in Lebanon County since 1997. Most have passed through.

“There’s never been one that stayed this long,� he said.

Some observers worry that it is becoming too tame. Sandhill cranes easily can become used to people and dogs, making it more likely to be injured by predators. Bird watchers warn against feeding it or approaching it too closely. The birds are a protected species in Pennsylvania.

Some people thought the Mount Gretna bird might be injured or otherwise in trouble, but Miller said it appears to be healthy and can fly very well. It can be seen feasting on a diet of seeds, tubers, insects and frogs.

Annibali thinks the crane is just “an adventurous soul.�

Miller hopes the crane will find a mate and settle down. The cranes are hardy enough to survive a winter here, Miller said.

“That bird is educating a lot of people,� he said.

Caption: A Sandhill crane at Lake Duffy on the old Railroad Bed Trail between Colebrook and Mount Gretna, Lebanon County.

[valhalla]

This is Great!