Long Night Ahead
by Keith Roberts
May 2021
Please be on the lookout for a Fox
It was 9:21 pm on Monday May 10th ...
when my phone got a motion alert from "BirdBrain", the wireless security camera we set up to keep an eye on the Four Lakes Sandhill Crane family.
Their newly hatched colts, Kevin and Stuart, came into this world just around Mother's Day. I checked the alert snapshot and it was Gina Kraper walking around with a flashlight. I ran out to the lanai to hear the Cranes frantically honking, one from the north side and the other from the south side of the Center Lake. What's going on?
Seconds later I got a call from Gina, in tears, "The cranes are gone! The babies are gone!". I told her I'd be right over.
Just days before we set up a second wired camera which would continuously record activity at crane's nest. The wireless camera is convenient, but being limited to battery operation it is not able to stream video continuously.
When I got to the Kraper's house they told me something happened; the parent cranes are gone. We need to check the video recording. Gina kept searching with a flashlight for the babies and Don and I checked the video footage. At 9:16 pm there was a Fox hunting for dinner. What happened next totally surprised us.
In what first appeared to be a gap in the video was actually the mom and dad flying straight up into the air. Their flushing from the nest startled the Fox and it left. The cranes also left behind their babies who had fallen out of the mother's wings and into the shallow water around the nest.
Gina was vigilant to find the babies. She rolled up her pant legs and walked into the cold, dark water. She found Kevin, the older colt, and returned him to the nest. She kept up the search for the younger sibling, Stuart. Thankfully, she found him as well, placing him safely back onto the nest. They no doubt were in shock themselves, with no clue what had just happened.
Gina was determined to sit on the shore all night to protect them from the Fox. But where are the parents?
Last year ...
when the Crane's nest was nearer to our house, we were able to keep a nighttime eye on them with our security camera. I had seen a Raccoon getting close to the nest; at that time it was the mother sitting on their egg. She jumped up and waved her wings to scare off the predator. A minute later the raccoon came back and the mother chased it off. The racoon didn't return.
But, this time was different. This time it was a Fox, which is far more dangerous than the Raccoon. We've all heard many times on an airplane "In the event of the aircraft losing cabin pressure, an oxygen mask will automatically fall from the ceiling. Place the mask on yourself first before helping others". This is precisely what the parents had done.
The parent's fight or flight reaction kicked in. Their instinct probably told them that if they stay and fight the Fox they could risk injury or death. By flushing from the nest they scared off the Fox and saved themselves. They have no choice but leave their babies behind, because if they tried to defend the family they knew the odds were very low they'd make it out alive. If they saved themselves, they could repeat the cycle of life again.
This wasn't their first tragedy this year ...
They had nested on the North Lake earlier this year across from Dave and Stephanie Cox; we saw the egg one day while checking on the palm trees along the fence. But suddenly the nest was empty and abandoned which we could only assume was because something ate the egg. Shortly thereafter they built another nest on the northside of the Center Lake by Roger and Susan Shaw's house. This was very close to where they nested last year.
But again, sadness fell upon this family and the egg was gone. Roger found it near his back door, cracked open and empty. The Cranes honked in mourning for their loss.
A few weeks later at Debbie and George Kennedy's Friday Night Wine we were entertained by the Crane's delightful mating ritual of dancing about along the lake's edge, reminding me of the Paris can-can dance .. Will we have more eggs? Yes! And this time there would be two!
Meanwhile . . .
I called Phat to tell him what was happening. He was devastated at the news of the Fox and relieved when Gina found both babies alive and well. He suspects that without the warmth and protection of their mother, the days-old babies may not survive the night alone by
themselves, or could provide the Fox with dinner. Baby birds this young may not be able to regulate their body temperature and die from hypothermia on the lake. The Fox may come back or other predators may be roaming. Their chance to survive the night on their own is very slim. They needed to be kept warm and safe for the night; we have to act quick. Don grabbed a plastic moving crate lined with soft towels.
Gina gently collected Kevin and Stuart in a box and they were safely moved to the garage. A heating pad would keep them warm for the night. The heating pad was positioned to heat up half of the crate in case if the pad is too hot for the colts, they can move to the cool side if needed. The colts seemed to adjust nicely to their temporary nest, giving out the quiet chirp.
It was about midnight when I got back home. Gina stayed awake for the next two hours monitoring the security camera to see if the parents returned. She imagined in the morning she might be cutting up mealworms for Kevin and Stuart.
Luckily she was able to get a few hours sleep. Then at 6:20 am I got the called to say the parents are honking by their old nest behind the Shaw's house. Gina was running to the garage to get the crate and release Kevin and Stuart on the grass where the parents would see them.
I'm always worried how the Cranes will react to us humans. But they have shown great tolerance to our nearly-constant observation. I like to believe they honestly know our well intentions and appreciate us. Or, realize at any moment they could simply snap-us-like-a-twig.
They no doubt heard the quiet chirping of Kevin and Stuart and slowly walked over to inspect. Looking at the babies, then looking around as if thinking "OMG, are these ours?"
Our fear was they'd detect the smell of humans and reject them. But quickly, they started finding bugs and feeding the very hungry little guys .. then, it was business as usual and they're making the rounds with their newly reunited family
One night is safe for the colts, but what about tomorrow? Oh Mother Nature, you can be so heartless.
The next three days ...
After the Fox episode, Gina set up solar motion lights in hopes of deterring the predator should it return. During the day, neighbors were delighted in seeing the Crane family walking around Four Lakes, snapping many pictures along the way. The parents are showing the babies the area, exercising their young legs and teaching them to search for food.
Friday May 14th
I woke up at 5:58 am thinking I heard the Cranes honking. Running outside I heard nothing; it could have just been a dream. I checked the nest camera, but it was empty. This isn't right. Ten minutes later two Cranes fly by our lanai and landing outside Gina's house. I had a really bad feeling about this.
I texted Gina something happened- she was trying to check the recorded video but didn't know the login. I zipped over and we searched. At 2:07 am the Fox returned and the parents flew off. Seconds later the Fox ran off with something in its mouth. OMG. Gina nor George and Debbie heard anything .. but these houses are pretty quiet, and I suspect the birds didn't make much noise.
Gina continued watching the video and saw the Fox come back two more times over the next ten minutes. Later, Gina and George searched the area around the nest, hoping to find a colt hiding in the tall grass, but there was none to be found.
They're gone. The Cranes honked in mourning, wandering back and forth hoping to find their young.
Twenty minutes went by and Francis called over to Gina - "OMG". She had found the mulch around her house dug up, and underneath was one of the baby Cranes; the Fox had hidden it for later. Gina and I placed the baby in a small box and buried it deep along the North Lake near their first nest of the year.
This was their third try to bring up a family this year. They have seen a lot of heartbreak and we feel doubtful that they will try again until next year.
When you see the Cranes at Four Lakes, please show your respects.
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