Regina’s Wascana Park is often filled with geese, so a lone sandhill crane that’s been spotted in the area is causing a bit of a stir.
Bird fans like Dacie Matchett-Orb and her 11-year-old son Chevy have been flocking to the park to look for the crane.
Early last week, they decided to try their luck near the Saskatchewan Science Centre — a spot where people had reported seeing the sandhill crane — but arrived to find no sight of it.
Later that day, Matchett-Orb checked the area near the Conexus Arts Centre and spotted the tall, red-crowned bird, then returned with her son after school.
“I was excited because I saw him that morning, but my son was super, super excited,”said Matchett-Orb.
She said her son has always had an obsession with birds — a love he shares with his grandmother — and has been taking photos of them since he was six years old. They carried a zoom lens so they could keep their distance.
“He got some really good shots of [the crane] lying down and he said, ‘We need to print them for my grandmother.’”
The executive director for the Wildlife Rescue Society of Saskatchewan, Bonnie Dell, said she believes the bird is injured as it doesn’t appear able to fly long distances, and sandhill cranes aren’t usually found in urban settings.
“Our biggest message is, leave this poor bird alone,” Dell said.
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There have been several instances during the past few months of people crowding around the crane, said Dell, adding there have even been times dogs have chased after it.
“[The birds] are trying to build up calories to keep themselves warm and making this bird stressed, unnecessarily, burns up that extra energy that it needs right now just to survive,” she said.
Dell is asking people to quit searching for the bird and refrain from posting its location on social media.
The Wildlife Rescue Society of Saskatchewan is working alongside Salt Haven to capture the sandhill crane and bring it into care. Dell said eight “dedicated” volunteers are monitoring the bird until then.
She said if the injury is old or cannot be fixed, they will come up with a plan — which could result in euthanasia due to provincial laws that prevent the ownership of non-releasable wildlife.
“If this bird cannot be returned to the wild, if we safely were able to catch it, then that would be the kindest thing for this bird,” said Dell.
