Spring has sprung so it’s time to spring into a book. To add to everyone’s adventures and spring fever we are currently offering a blind date with a book. There is no peeking to find your favorite author, but you just might find a new author to be passionate about or re-meet an old favorite.
It appears spring might finally be headed our way. Now is the time to find one of our new books and relax and enjoy this fabulous weather before all that spring work commences. Many new movies have also made an appearance. Come enjoy a night of free entertainment with your family. We do not charge a fee to check out a movie or a book.
Big thanks to Pam Marquis for hosting all the story hour events. What would we do without her? She always has such fabulous ideas for the kiddos. Don’t forget to visit cascademtwedsworthlibrary.wordpress.com (long name but worth the hunt) to keep up on the current events or learn a bit about the library.
Don’t forget if you need a place for a quick or long meeting, head on down to the Library. We have a fabulous meeting room that can be had for free 24/7. Just fill out a Meeting Room confirmation form and it’s yours.
To aid spring fever we are providing food for thought for a few things the Staler Brothers asked in their song ‘The Doodlin’ Song’ in a play on words. “Can you freeze to death in a coal mine? Is an aging Greek the Nick of time? And can a sewing bee really sew? And if you plant bird seed will a bird grow? Does a chaise lounge ever run? And what’s the middle name of Tommy Gun? And can a fly swatter really fly? And can a needle see with a metal eye? Do ya have to play ball to have athlete’s feet? And what’s so sweet about bitter sweet? And does a living room wear a suit? And just how loud does a parachute? How big a trunk is the community chest? And in a rest room do you really rest? And does a stink weed really stink? And how far does the kitchen sink? If I bought a herd of Buffalo on credit would they send me a Buffalo Bill? Do Grizzlies wear shoes or do they go barefooted…?”
If you find or know the answers to these provocative questions, please call the library and let us know. We have yet to find the answers. Maybe you can come up with a few more tantalizing questions. We would like to hear those and possible ask them of our readers too. Always have to be on the ball here.
Our book club has been quite rowdy with their parties lately – cake, ice cream, and assorted other refreshments. If you haven’t attended one of these discussions just look what you have been missing. Oh, they do discuss a book or two they have read to satisfy inquiring minds questions as to why they attend the group.
For many of us, spring is an event that arrives quietly with the emergence of bulbs, the subtle shift towards longer days, and the welcome return of warm morning breezes. “For others, however, spring is announced in a thunderous chorus of hundreds of thousands of trumpeting bugle calls, borne on the wings of majestic Sandhill cranes.” They are now starting to return. “These elegant birds have inspired people in cultures all over the world—including the great scientist, conservationist, and nature writer Aldo Leopold, who wrote of their nobility, won in the march of aeons.”
Sandhill Cranes have one of the longest fossil histories of any existing bird. The earliest Sandhill Crane fossil, estimated to be 2.5 million years old, was unearthed in the Macasphalt Shell Pit in Florida.
Cranes are fairly social birds that usually live in pairs or family groups through the year. Sandhill Crane chicks can leave the nest within 8 hours of hatching, and are even capable of swimming. The chicks remain with their parents until one to two months before the parents lay the next clutch of eggs the following year; so they remain as a family for around 10–12 months.
After leaving their parents, the chicks form nomadic flocks with other juveniles and non-breeders. They remain in these flocks until they form breeding pairs between two and seven years old. Although some start breeding at two years of age, Sandhill Cranes may reach the age of seven before breeding. They mate for life—which can mean two decades or more—and stay with their mates year-round.
The Sandhill Crane’s call is a loud, rolling, trumpeting sound whose unique tone is a product of anatomy”. They have “long tracheas that coil into the sternum and help the sound develop a lower pitch and harmonics that add richness.” They are also known for their dancing skills. Courting cranes stretch their wings, pump their heads, bow, and leap into the air in a graceful and energetic dance.
Sandhill cranes fly south for the winter, as do most birds of course. If you have ever witnessed this fabulous lift when they take to the air to begin this journey, you have witnessed a ballet in action. You can almost see the thermals as the Cranes circle to gain altitude. Very few have witnessed this fabulous choreography. Sandhill cranes are incredibly strong flyers, and may fly as many as 400 miles in one day during migration.
Sandhill Cranes form extremely large flocks, of over tens of thousands, on their wintering grounds and during migration. They often migrate very high in the sky. One of the wintering grounds is at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, 100 mi south of Albuquerque, New Mexico. A group of cranes has many collective nouns, including a “construction”, “dance”, “sedge”, “siege”, and “swoop” of cranes.
Sandhill crane males are slightly larger than females, weighing up to 14 pounds. Females remain closer to 10 pounds. The birds grow up to 5 feet in height measured from toe to the top of the head when they are standing on the ground. The male is generally a couple inches taller than the female.
The oldest Sandhill Crane on record was at least 36 years, 7 months old. Originally banded in Wyoming in 1973, it was found in New Mexico in 2010.
So fly or spring on down to discover.