Our female Sand Hill Crane has left her male. I think the reason is his eating disorder and she has just had it!  She has decided that since this Eating Disorder Syndrome  has now gone beyond any treatment , it would be better to part the ways.

Okay,  I’ll give you the background of their breakup.

Their feeder is always filled at night and in the morning when I  get up, I  see the female standing in the middle of the yard looking over at the lake. She probably has had her meal and is now waiting for him to finish.  But every time she looks back she sees him eating – just – eating oblivious to his surroundings or what his female is thinking looking at him eating like this. Once in a while  the female bird would turn her long neck towards her male and start coming back then stop and turn back again and stand a little farther this time.

When checking on him periodically didn’t work in her favor, she started something new , like  walking away, leaving the backyard. When the male saw this the first time, he left his eating and ran after her. That was a funny sight but it worked.  So  now they would come , eat to-gather then she would stand aside letting him have a go at the food a little longer then start walking away and he would run after her a little while after.  Then a day came when this tactic also stopped working.

They didn’t show up for a few days.  That was normal.  But keeping what we had witnessed we jokingly said, they probably are talking things over, or maybe seeing a shrink . But even though they had done that a couple of times before – I mean this disappearing act – we were eagerly awaiting their return.

They came back after a little over a week  and the same tableau was performed – but this time with a drop scene. Totally strange!!

She was standing there patiently; once or twice she looked back then started walking towards the lake.  He raised his head from the feeder, looked at her but then satisfied that she was just going to the lake to wade in the water or something , resumed his favorite hobby.

Then we heard a loud cawing sound. The female was running in the yard, flapping her huge wings, like she was too mad to control herself – too agitated. This dumb guy didn’t move an inch away from the feeder but looked at her, though. Then the female took a last run and flew away. This gentleman went to the edge of the lake to see where she was heading then probably thinking it a “usual female behavior” came back to his plate.

No one showed up for a week, meanwhile the ducks without any kind of threat from anybody, had the nonstop feast fearlessly. Then one day the “He Man” returned minus his Mrs. and chased the ducks away.  After that it was business as usual and still is.

Seeing just one Sand Hill crane walking around is an unusual sight   They always move in even numbers like twos and fours.  But this guy? his disorder took better of  the norm.

In humans we usually think that Eating Disorder Syndrome stems from some deep rooted need  like love, care, nurturing etc and needs Psychological evaluation and treatment.  But a bird?

What is his problem anyways?