In the Meadows Community reside at present four, possibly six Sandhill Cranes. The "four" make up one family. Sandhill Cranes have lived in Florida 2.5 million years. The oldest known fossils of these Cranes were discovered by paleontologists in the 1980s at the Macasphalt Shell Pit. There were a number of shell pits in Sarasota and Manatee Counties that today have given way to Nathan Benderson Park, its lake and "world class rowing facility".* The Park is less than a mile west of my "villa" style condo in the Meadows. Sitting in the office one can observe numerous bird species attracted to the Meadows wetlands; Ibis in groups of three to eight, blue and white herons, limpkins, ducks, anhingas, egrets, wood storks, and occasionally starlings by the hundred. There is the periodic flash across water of a bald eagle, an osprey or the angelic glide of a pelican. Small bird species and alligators are also in residence.
Sandhill Cranes (Grus Canadensis) attain a height of 3 to 5 feet, weigh 6 to 14 pounds with a wing span of 5 to 6 feet. They mate for life and require a wetlands habitat with shrubs and trees. Their chicks walk from the nest within eight hours of hatching able to swim. After nine or ten months the juveniles will leave their parents. They begin to breed at age 7 and have a life expectancy of 20 years. These Cranes are omnivorous - they will eat almost anything; insects, snails, reptiles, amphibians, small birds and mammals, seeds and berries. *
The presence of various bird species in the Meadows is the result of some luck and good planning. The 1960s was the period of "urban renewal" in American cities. Much of the renewal resulted in apartment buildings that often became slums; old neighborhoods razed to construct four lane arterials to connect sprawling suburbs; the stores and services of the traditional "downtown" areas decayed or relocated. At about this time urban planners began to focus on "British New Town" designs. The objective of British planners was to enhance "livability" in new and refurbished urban spaces. A "new town" required the incorporation of certain features to whit; open spaces, (parks, nature preserves, a golf course) curving lines are more interesting than straight - so streets and sidewalks should be curved, twisting. "Livability" is enhanced by diversity in the population. Thus housing should be unique in design and mixed in value - single family houses, townhouses, condos and villas. Services (grocery stores, medical facilities) should be readily available and accessible by public transit as well as automobile and in a perfect world, bicycle and walking.
In the early 1980s, Taylor Woodrow, a British developer began construction on 1,650 acres in northern Sarasota County - the Meadows. As of 2015 this development consists of 700 single family homes ranging from McMansions to the merely expensive. There are also 2,800 condos and villas - all organized into 50 different condo and homeowner associations. Meadows residents number around 7,500 for at least part of the year. There are 14 miles of sidewalks and 17 miles of roadway - all serpentine. Admittedly this has caused some confusion among delivery services and visitors - but then solved with the advent of GPS. The Meadows has 82 ponds. Our resident Sandhill Cranes spend some nights on an island in the middle of a pond next to a fairway. There is also a small nature preserve, a children's playground, and a butterfly garden. There is a "services" village with a bank, two restaurants, one deli, a dental office, travel agency, masseuse - and a school bus runs through it. Yes, there is a country club with 3 golf courses, (two are now public) 17 tennis courts, a swimming pool, fitness facility and three additional restaurants.
The British planners got it right - The Meadows is a most comfortable place to live and various bird species agree. On an April morning 2014, I had to dismount my bicycle at a small traffic jam - three cars on Marshfield Street.. A Sandhill Crane has just stepped off the curb and begun a cautious street crossing. A few feet behind another crane, most likely a female, moved slowly into the street. Next came two short, dun colored haystacks with beaks and stick legs. Once safely across the procession proceeded down a cart path and disappeared.. Traffic resumed passing the MCA sign "Caution-Sandhill Cranes".
During the succeeding nine months the two chicks became handsome juveniles. Many residents have seen the family in various locations - always on the move - always eating. At dusk on occasion one can watch a Crane fly over - legs extended straight back, wings effortlessly propelling them forward, amid noisy honking by the leader of what might be precise directions - they are a splendid life form. When they parade by your window - stopping perhaps to devour a grub - they add immense beauty to life - 2.5 million years and they abide. As I type these words the four have just flown by my window - the leader squawking a blessing.
* "All About Birds" Cornell Lab of Ornithology - on line. International Crane Foundation - on line.
Southeastern Geological Society; "SMR Aggregates Inc.- Sarasota, FL - on line
Photos by Wikimedia.org and John Lindell
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