- They seemed to be in deep discussion as they walked with many also seemingly agreeing with the occasional “mahem” sound given almost in unison.
Walking through the long grass a large flock of approximately 40 cranes approached a clearing. They looked magnificent together in the late afternoon sun, indeed it is rare to see so many cranes gathered together at the same place. So as it is also a new year, I imagined they were the delegates for the “2020 crane conference” with the main agenda to discuss challenges and threats to their lives due to the rapid advancement of mankind.
They seemed to be in deep discussion as they walked with many also seemingly agreeing with the occasional “mahem” sound given almost in unison. The Ugandan representatives were in agreement on most issues, but still insisted on being called crested cranes due to their elevated national status, and proposed that the other cranes in Kenya and elsewhere find ways to get caring humans to elevate their status as well.
The cranes snacked on various insects. All too soon, it appeared, the meeting was over and many cranes took off together in search of “greener pastures”, as the Nairobi cranes settled down and rested.
The grey crowned crane (balearica regulorum) has two sub-species: balearica regulorum gibbericeps in East Africa, also known as the crested crown in Uganda, and balearica regulorum regulorum in South Africa with slightly different markings mainly on the red part of the face. The rarer black crowned crane is also closely related to the grey crowned crane.
Seeing crowned cranes in the wild is always wonderfully rewarding, as their colours are beautiful. They have a varied diet ranging from grass seeds to insects and lizards and small rodents. Cranes are endangered in many area’s, but thank God the Nairobi National Park is a safe breeding haven with a healthy population.
For more information on the park, you can link to the following websites: www.kws.org or www.nairobigreenline.com or on Facebook – Nairobi National Park