Wildlife Visits

Living near pine flat woods and wetland areas have made unexpected wildlife visits part of a normal existence. Recently these two sandhill cranes found my bird feeders and started making them a regular stopping place.

They are sensitive birds that don't adjust well to the disappearing marshes, prairies and pastures. Since they eat both plant and animal matter, their diet consists of seeds, berries, insects, mice, snakes, lizards, frogs, and crayfish. However, they do not fish for food. Florida sandhill cranes stay with the same mate for years and they live up to 20 years. They can be up to 4 foot tall and they have a distinctive trumpeting sound that can be heard for miles.

In 2002, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission made it illegal to feed sandhill cranes. They can become aggressive toward people, become more susceptible to cat and dog attacks, more susceptible to being killed by lawn pesticides and vehicles, and their diet is disrupted when they constantly eat corn and bird seed.

So, although I miss them, as well as, the cardinals, doves, and other birds that often visited, my bird feeders now stay empty to discourage return visits that may put them at risk.