I Thought It Was A Blue Heron With A Sore Throat

For years I've heard people talk about sand hill cranes. "Oh, I have some in my back yard in Andover," or "You should see them near the pond by my house." Well, I never saw one. And ever since I saw the Great Crested Crane, the national bird of Tanzania, on my trip to Africa, I've wanted to see a sand hill crane. So I've made it my goal to see one this year. I thought this would be an easy goal to accomplish. Last night my Master Naturalist class took a trip out to Lake Itasca. No, not the Lake Itasca near Park Rapids, headwaters of the Mississippi. This Lake Itasca is in Ramsey and was the site of the first settlement in Anoka County. It lies right on the Ox Cart Trail that went from St. Paul into Canada. Anyway, on our trip to Lake Itasca, someone pointed out the sound of a sand hill crane. It's a very distinctive sound. The sand hill crane sounds like a cartoon version of a bird rather than a naturally made sound. And I've heard it before. I've heard that sound quite a few times while walking in the park by my house. I remember looking up and thinking, "What the hell kind of goose is that?" As it flew by I thought it was a blue heron. So I figured it was a blue heron with a sore throat. Or a blue heron trying to sing like Alanis Morrisette. So I have seen a sand hill crane, I just didn't know it. Mission Accomplished!