Sightings of grey crowned cranes in the Bluff

THE elegant and beautiful grey crowned crane has been spotted in the Bluff area for the past two years or so. Warren Dick, an avid nature photographer, often has people telling him about the cranes that have been seen visiting the Bluff.

“Most of the sightings I respond to, I have never been lucky enough to see one. While out cycling recently, I happened to spot a grey crowned crane on the Harlequins rugby field. Not having my camera with me, I could just stand and watch the crane for a bit as it danced around with some Egyptian geese, then moved off to forage for insects in the longer grass,” says Warren.

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“The following morning I set out, camera in hand to find and photograph the bird and as luck would have it, it was gone. I checked the adjacent wetland, and also found nothing. I decided to go to the Bluff golf course to see what other birds I can find to photograph. After finding some of the usual species who frequent the area, my eyes caught a glimpse of the grey crowned crane in the distance,” he says.

The grey crowned crane is native to sub-Saharan Africa right down to South Africa. They are a common bird in some parts, but in other areas their populations are threatened due to habitat destruction. The grey crowned crane is the national bird of Uganda. They stand about 1m tall, have a wingspan of 2m and weigh about 3.5kg.  

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