Life in the Wild

Natural Wonder

“Isn’t the sandhill crane, the shankank,

Standing in the marsh, the kneedeep,

Standing silent in the kneedeep,

With his wingtips crossed behind him,

And his neck close-reefed before him.

With his bill, his william, buried

In the down upon his bosom,

With his head retracted inly,

While his shoulders overlook it.

Does the sandhill crane, the shankank,

Shiver grayley in the north wind…?”

                          Ambrose Bierce

         Yesterday, I saw hundreds of Sandhill Cranes, Shankanks in Ojibwa, standing in the marshlands at Wheeler Wildlife Refuge in north Alabama. They are majestic birds. Seeing that many together was almost a religious experience. Wheeler is on the flyway from upper Michigan, where they are native, and right now is the time of year when all the migrating ducks and birds are stopping over in this area. Yesterday there were wood ducks, coots, mallards, egrets, many other ducks I couldn’t identify, and, though I didn’t see them, three whooping cranes.

         There is something awe-inspiring about wild creatures in their natural habitat. I’ve never quite figured out why that is, but I know that it is so. Perhaps it is the stark naturalness with which they live, true to self, no pretensions, being the only thing they can be. I admire their beauty and their effortless flight. Amazing to watch them lift that enormous body, neatly tuck their long legs, and flap away in a perfect V. Do they decide in advance who the leader will be? Do they jostle for the position?

         When I make a pilgrimage to see wildness living free, I come away refreshed, feeling better about the world. I give thanks for the foresight of whomever, decades ago, who saw fit to shelter and preserve land for our beautiful winged brothers and sisters. I encourage you, if you live within driving distance of Wheeler, to make an excursion to see them. It’s right off I-65, on the outskirts of Decatur, and a million miles from ordinary.

                          Shalom,

                          Jane