Sand Hill Crane

Sand Hill Crane

While walking this morning a Sand Hill Crane flew overhead squawking.  I thought that it must have been a flock because of the racket.  To my surprise it was a single bird.  This is very unusual because they usually travel in pairs or a flock.

Turning the corner, I could hear squawking to my right and then squawking to my left.  In total wonder I listened and realized the squawking was a method of communication.  The bird on my right would speak (I surmised) “I’m over here” and the bird on my left would reply “I’m coming”.

The bird that flew overhead had landed in a field; the other bird was in a backyard.  As the bird from the back yard approached the bird in the field he stopped about 30 ft away.  The bird in the field spoke and lifted her feathers.  This was a signal to the other bird that she was friendly.  The backyard bird immediately sang, lifted his feathers, jumped, turned in a circle and bowed!  This was the most amazing display I’ve ever seen up close and personal!

As I continued my walk, I started wondering “How am I getting heard and am I making enough noise in the right place?”  The Sand Hill Crane knew what she wanted and made lots of noise in the right place.  She knew that the other bird was in the backyard.

The other piece to this is “am I making known what I want?”  The Sand Hill Crane ruffled her feathers, just ever so slightly, to convey the message of what she wanted.  How do I ruffle my feathers, is my message clear?

The three lessons I learned this morning from a Sand Hill Crane are:

  1. Get started early on your plan.  It was just 6:30 when I saw the crane this morning.  You’ve heard the saying “the early bird gets the worm.”  This bird was early and the “worm” is whatever you’re going after.
  2. Make lots of noise.  She made such a racket flying overhead that I HAD to look up.  Not only did I look up, I took notice of where she was going.  You want to get noticed, be bold.
  3. Know your target market.  The bird knew he was in the back yard so she landed close to him in a field.  Go directly to your market, and speak to them in their language.

How are you ruffling your feathers and what kind of noise are you making?


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