The Mysterious Sandhill Crane
My sister’s house in Florida sports a lovely patio surrounded by hibiscus. A sandhill crane comes to the bird feeder off and on all day long. You already know this if you’ve seen my recent Instagram photos. This mysterious winged giant, Phrasier, spent hours with me as I, coincidentally, spent afternoons reading a scintillating mystery by Kathleen West . I loved Phrasier instantly and found him to be intriguing company. And yet, his presence didn’t jive with 2 irrefutable “facts” we “know” about sandhill cranes. Back home in Indiana, I could not get this darned bird out of my head. His migration and mating behaviors didn’t make a lick of sense. I resolved to get to the bottom of why this crazy crane went against all accepted cultural norms of his breed. I could have reached out to actual ornithologists who work nearby on the IU campus, but I didn’t have that kind of time. Instead, I used two or more online sources to solve … the mysteries of the lone...
