Cranes get social

By David Horst sandhill7@gmail.com 

It appears this social media thing isn't just going to go away after all, so I decided to embrace it for this year's Midwest Crane Count.

With paid freelancing eliminated from The Post-Crescent and Gannett's Wisconsin newspapers, I am searching for another writing outlet. Heaven forbid, it might be social media. I dabbled in it last Saturday by delivering updates of my crane count over Facebook. People seemed to "like" it. I even discovered that there is a "love it" Facebook icon.

Here is a reprint of the morning's posts, with typos and omissions made on a pint-sized keyboard in the dim light of morning corrected.

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Four cranes swoop into the counting area.

5:30 a.m.: I am at my counting site near Hortonville. The horizon already has an orange rim. The cranes will call soon, but not show themselves for a while.

5:40 a.m.: Two deer run and jump in the farm field as I set up the spotting scope. Not because they need to. Just because they can.

5:48 a.m.: Crane calls mix with turkey gobbles. Nature is waking up. I won't count these. Too undefined.

6 a.m.: Two deer are at the edge of my crane area. That won't keep the birds away. The morning light is defining the farm field.

6:03 a.m.: Loud alarm calls ahead of me and to the east. They'll be out before long.

6:09 a.m.: First crane spotted. It flew in to the far edge of the field. Joined by No. 2.

6:17 a.m.: The sun is a bright orange ball to the east. Three cranes are feeding in front of me. Another feeds with three turkeys to the west.

6:24 a.m.: A turkey in full display tries to attract a lady. Two cranes are with the turkeys now. Three more are feeding ahead of me. The count is five.

6:41 a.m.: I am in the company of 24 cranes and one confused tom turkey displaying for the cranes.

6:51 a.m.: Have not had a year like this in some time. There are 28 sandhills feeding in front of me.

7:14 a.m.: Sixteen minutes to go. 24 on the ground.

7:30 a.m.: Time is up on the crane count. My total is 28. 

It was an interesting media experience. But I have to say, Facebook definitely detracted from my experience. Instead of being fully immersed in nature, I had one hand in technology.

Will I do it again. Maybe. If I figure out a better way to do it. Or if I have no choice.

As friend and newspaper mentor Arlen Boardman told me, I can always go back into the woods some morning just for me.

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