The crane -- King of the hula Valley ©

After breeding in summer in northern Europe (even as far away as Russia and Siberia or nearer from Germany and Norway, as well as Turkey and the Caucasus region, the cranes wing their way to warmer climates.  Before twenty years ago, about 100,000 cranes would pass over Eretz Yisrael on their migration route to East Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and Southeast Asia. Nowadays, from Elul to Adar over 30 thousand (with the numbers increasing yearly), of the 100 thousand cranes remain here to spend the winter Hula Lake Park. They stay behind in Eretz Yisrael, undeterred by the country’s rising inflation or the threat of a third intifada.

Before twenty years ago cotton was grown in the Hulla Valley. As this was not profitable it was decided to plant corn. The cranes who were migrating though uprooted the newly planted corn plants, posing a serious problem for the farms in the area.  The farmers decided that the solution was to supply their winged visitors with some real hospitality. Now they feed corn kernels to the cranes on a daily basis by using a feeding tractor to dispense the corn which adds up to six tons of corn per year.

When the vehicle approaches and scatters the kernels, the cranes run towards it. They call out loudly, and their shrieks can be heard at a distance of four kilometers. In this way, they notify other cranes that it’s feeding time. They never fight with or trample each other for the corn kernels.

    

I witnessed how the tractor came into the field and sprayed around the corn. The birds were calling to each other to come eat. They didn’t trample each other but acting politely, calling to each other: “Come, take.”

In some cultures, the crane is a symbol of fidelity and good family life, in the same way that we regard doves. Cranes are family oriented, and they travel in family units of three, or sometimes four individuals. The adults, who have white/black heads, are very faithful to each other; once they “marry,” they stay together unless death parts them. In this way, they are similar to doves.

The young crane with its brownish head lives with its devoted parents for over a year in their winter quarters. For birds, this is a long time. The young crane then joins a bachelor or spinster group for a few years until it matures and is able to bear young.  At this point it will find a mate. The red crown on the top of its head appears when it matures. The rangers have taken note red varies in shade in different individual cranes. The more intense the red the more temperamental that particular bird is!!   

        

The wings of cranes are over two meters long and they are about one and a quarter meters high. They weigh approximately five and a half kilos, yet their hollow bones and their feathers make them light and able to fly. In the rain, the cranes all face towards the rain so the rain should slide off them. They appear to be as an army; all heads facing in the same direction.

Every evening the cranes sleep in the shallow (40- 80  centimeters deep) Agamon HaHula. It’s warmer inside the water than out of it. In the Hula Valley at night, it is so cold that ice can appear on the ground. Also this protects them from animals who may try to harm them. 

The corn that is fed to these cranes costs the farmers a lot of money, maybe even a few million shekels, and in order to cover this expense, they’ve made a whole enterprise out of this crane colony. People are attracted to this bird watching sanctuary from all over the world, and they pay good money to stay in nearby hotels and observe the cranes, as well as the other migratory birds that are flying overhead.