Greater Sandhill Cranes of Woodbridge Ecological Reserve

January 19, 2014. While on a roll with bird tours, I also signed us up for a greater sandhill crane tour at the Woodbridge Ecological Reserve, also known as the Isenberg Crane Reserve. The reserve is in San Joaquin County, just west of the Central Valley town of Lodi, on the eastern edge of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Now this one is a little closer to home (pun not intended), since I spend a good amount of time on my day job working with sandhill crane specialists to conserve this species in the Bay-Delta region.

The greater sandhill crane is a subspecies of the sandhill crane that is listed as Threatened in the State of California. Like swans, its natural wetland habitat disappeared throughout California, and as a result the crane relies on agricultural crops for its life history needs. The Central Valley population of the sandhill crane breeds mostly in northern California and Oregon and migrates to the Central Valley and southern California for the winter. Their most important wintering grounds are in the rice fields of Butte County and in croplands such as corn fields in the Bay-Delta region. They start to arrive as early as late August and start the migration to their northern breeding grounds in late February. A good majority of the sandhill crane Central Valley population can be found wintering in the central Delta, so a few reserves have been set aside specifically to benefit the species with preserved wetlands and compatible crops and agricultural practices. The cranes can be seen at the Cosumnes River Preserve, Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Staten Island, and the Isenberg Crane Reserve.

Meeting spot

This reserve, owned by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, hosts one of the largest concentrations of sandhill cranes in the region. The tour meets at one of the reserve's birding spots for the docents to talk about the life history and conservation needs of the crane.

It starts in the late afternoon because the best time to see the sandhill cranes is in the evening. At dusk, the cranes congregate in shallow-water fields or wetlands to roost for the evening. Spending the night in the middle of these flooded fields keeps them relatively safe from predators such as coyotes, which are apparently deterred by the amount of water between themselves and the cranes. During the day, the cranes forage in the fields and wetlands close to their roost sites, and as if responding to a curfew, they all start flying in at once at the end of their busy day to rest for the night. It's this time of day the volunteers at the reserve bring their guests to the roost site to watch the cranes fly in.

Sandhill Crane roost site

It was beautiful. The cranes flew in as the sun was setting. We observed them from the deck of the reserve's headquarters building, hot chocolate was served, and we also looked for owls roosting in the trees to the west. In this setting we enjoyed casual conversation with our tour guides as the cranes and other waterbirds populated the wetland. It was an unforgettable experience.

At the end of the day, we took advantage of being close to Lodi by eating great Mexican food at Habanero Hots. I caught the end of the football season playoffs for the San Francisco 49ers, who lost to the Seattle Seahawks, and drank a strong margarita to top off the evening. No one can say Lodi, California, is not a destination. I hope to return next year and go to the Sandhill Crane Festival--an event that celebrates this magnificent bird.