Jason, Kathy, and Roland Search for a Crane

By Jason Frederick

We as a chapter have 35 plus field trips a year and as field trip leader on most, I meet several hundred people each year. Some are hard for me to remember, others make an impression on me that last and we become friends as they continue to come out on field trips and join us at our chapter general meetings. This is a story of such a person and his wish to see a truly special bird.

I met Roland on a field trip to the Viera Wetlands. He is 77 and has been birding on and off for over 50 years. Over all, he seemed like a nice guy and was friendly, so when he shows up on field trips I know that at the very least I am going to have good company even if the birds are hard to find that day.

When we had our general meeting in October, we were entertained by a great presentation on Whooping Cranes by Marty Folk, the "Craniac", a wildlife biologist from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Some of our regulars that also attend field trips asked why we did not have a field trip out to see the Whooping Cranes at Joe Overstreet this year. In shock that I had some how forgot such a great trip, I told everyone to stay tuned and we would have an unscheduled field trip there. Roland told me how he would love to see them and to keep him informed of the trip. Well, the time came when I had a free day off and plans were made. The day came for the trip and everyone showed up except for Roland. I was concerned that he was not there, but we headed out and a great day was had by those that attended.

Roland gave me a call and asked what had happened and we both soon found out that there was a mix up in communication on the start time. I felt horrible and knew I had to make another trip. Besides, the trip was really set up for him. Like I said earlier, he became a friend of mine and you always try to help out a friend. This time we double and triple checked the start time and he even gave me a call the night before just to make sure all was still a go. We, Kathy and I, arrived first and soon were joined by Roland. After he loaded up his gear in the trunk we were off.

Kathy took on the job as our driver and this gave Roland and me time to share bird and life stories. As we talked, we kept an eye for birds along the way. A Red Shouldered Hawk here and a Bald Eagle there as we made our way to Joe Overstreet Landing, which is in Osceola County on the banks of Lake Kissimmee, looking for Whooping Cranes. Kathy made the turn off of Canoe Creek road onto Joe Overstreet and the search began. We encountered Wild Turkeys, Crested Caracaras, American Kestrels and several other species along the road as the conversation continued. Suddenly Roland saw what we came for and announced his discovery. There in the field was a pair of Whooping Cranes standing near a grain feeder for cattle. Kathy pulled up so we could get a better view and we were delighted to see a third Crane come from behind the feeder. I suggested we continued down to the end and search for more.

We arrived at the fish camp area and headed over to the parking area to look for more Whoopers. Near another grain feeder and under some oak trees, another pair of Cranes appeared. The cold and wind started taking effect on us, so we quickly scanned thru the birds that were at the lakes edge and headed back to the first 3 Whooping Cranes we found. We spent a little more time getting some pictures and some great views and decided it was time for lunch.

When we head over to Joe Overstreet Landing for the Whooping Cranes, we always stop at Forever Florida for food and drinks. It is also one of the only places out in the middle of nowhere to eat, so it only makes sense to stop there. Lunch was great and Roland wanted to see the sites around Forever Florida so we walked around telling him all the things you can see out there as we continued birding. We ended our tour and headed back home. We totaled almost 60 species for the day, but more importantly Kathy and I helped a friend get another bird for his life list and had a wonderful time doing it.