You can never really judge a book by its cover… or can you?

The origin of the ‘Cover Story’ and its message both followed what I had researched, written and later submitted for publication. What followed could only have been the work of serendipity.

Its composite picture was, at least to me, something of an accident. When I submitted the manuscript for publication only the picture of cranes flying across the face of the moon was to appear on the cover. Michael Boyce, Resident Manager of Michigan Audubon Society’s Baker Sanctuary had only recently photographed them. When Wendy, my wife - Larry Walkinshaw’s daughter, and I visited there in August 2007, Mike graciously offered it to us for the cover. Walkinshaw’s portriat beneath the cranes is the work of celebrated LIFE photojournalist Alfred Eisendstadt when assigned to Larry during week-long studies of Sandhill Cranes in Nebraska in the 1950s. It was submitted to iUniverse the publisher as the book’s Frontiespiece.

Unbeknown to me the iUniverse, Inc. graphic artists thought otherwise. They combined the two images to creat the stunning one appearing on the front cover (more subdued here than in actuality). Little did they know the interwinning of aesthetic beauty and history they had created!

The essence of this is its poignancy. For years, Walkinshaw led the charge as Chairman of Michigan Audubon Society’s Crane Sanctuary Committee leading to establishment of Baker Sanctuary in 1941. At that time it represented the world’s first and only sanctuary devoted exclusively to saving cranes. During the 1930s Walkinshaw and Aldo Leopold, the preeminant academic conservationist with the University of Wisconsin, Madison, thought fewer than 40 pairs of Greater Sandhill Cranes nested in the United States. Once there were thousands. After Larry published The Sandhill Cranes in 1949 and Cranes of the World in 1973, everyone knew he had established the foundation upon which all future crane research and salvation would reside. Thus Baker Sanctuary… within walking distance of Larry’s boyhood home, where he first sighted Sandhills and encountered their first nest providing him inspiration … represents the very genesis of all worldwide crane recovery - for Larry and for cranes.

Today, thousands of crane lovers flock to Baker Sanctuary each October when attending CraneFest. Thanks to the foresight and actions of Larry Walkinshaw they sometimes see as many as 8,500 roosting Sandhills in a single day… a new Michigan record.

Restoring the World’s crane populations… It all started at Baker Sanctuary. As noted on the front cover, the return of the cranes is “the wildlife equivalent of putting a man on the moon“, according to John Christian, USFWS, 2003.

Everyone knows you can’t judge a book by its cover… or can you now that you know the rest of the ‘Cover Story’? To proceed with rest of Larry Walkinshaw’s improbable Life Story,, obtain a copy and probe beyond its cover.

Copies available across the Internet, call the publisher at 1-800-288-4677 or purchase several from your favorite conservation organizations: International Crane Foundation; World Birding Center; Aransas National Wildlife Refuge; Corpus Christi Audubon Outdoor Club; Michigan Audubon Society; The Port Aransas South Jetty newspaper among many other commercial outlets.

Every afternoon of Saturday and Sunday, October 11 and 12, 2008, thousands of Sandhill Cranes displayed their majestic calls, dances and flights into Baker Sanctuary. When Larry Walkinshaw discovered their first nest there in 1931, fewer than twenty nested east of the Mississippi River. Once there had been thousands. Baker Sanctuary, the first sanctuary in the world devoted to protection cranes, was founded in 1941. Walkinshaw led the effort as Chairman of the Michigan Audubon Society Crane Sanctuaty Committee. Typical of Walkinshaw’s birding protocol, friends assisted the amatuer Michigan birder at every turn along the way.

On the Wings of Cranes: Larry Walkinshaw’s Life Story was featured here as it was at four previous events over as many days. Appropriately, this was the book’s showcase presentation to the public. The book’s author and editor (shown above) were there joined by the public to honor their father-in-law and father 77-years after he began his study of Greater Sandhill Cranes. Other family members present (but not shown) were J. R. ‘Jim’ Walkinshaw’s wife, Jan, their son Alan, and his son Jimmy. Schake, the author, is shown holding a copy of the newly released book.

Each day, about equal numbers of people and cranes arrived. About 5,000 was the estimate. Mingled among the book signing activities appeared members of Larry Walkinshaw’s ‘extended’ birding family. They offered many memorable experiences and many new insights into his life. Mark Weldon of Fort Wayne, Indiana came with an especially poignant picture of Larry measuring Sandhill Crane Nest Number 307. Mark took the picture on May 6, 1980 as they worked the Michigan and Indiania marshes. Their friendship spanned decades as Larry eventually logged over 600 nests of these elusive creatrures. The picture showed Larry with his pants legs rolled up, stretching a tape measue, while admiring the nest’s two eggs.

A PreFest Fundraising Dinner was held on the evening before CraneFest. Before then Olivet College (where Larry attended for two years), the Kiwanis Club of Battle Creek, and the Battle Creek’s Brigham Audubon all hosted programs. Schake presesnt an overview of the On the Wings of Cranes with a superb power point presentation developed by Baker Sanctuary Manager, Mike Boyce.

The entire Walkinshaw family expresses their gratitude for this warm welcome in recognition of an exceptional Michigan ornithologist.

As the book claims in its Introduction, “Birding is its theme; Inspiration its message”.

Captive nesting Whooper ‘Jo’ shown with Walkinshaw’s daughter Wendy Ann in 1950. The entire Walkinshaw family, along with Robert Porter Allen, studied two nesting pair at Aransas Refuge in 1949 and 1950.

My latest copy of the Port Aransas South Jetty reported that the first Whooping Crane arrived at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge on October 20, 2008, that according to USFWS Whooping Crane coordinator Tom Stein. More are expected soon, concluded Klein who was instrumental in providing me access to the Refuge archives when researching On the Wings of Cranes: Larry Walkinshaw’s Life Story. When Larry Walkinshaw initiated their salvation in 1937, only 13 Whooping Cranes remained in the wild.

Today, around 250 arrive at Aransas from Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada each fall, thanks to a half a century and more of struggling by a handful of concerned individuals like Robert Porter Allen, Walter ‘Bud’ Tholen, J. J. Pratt, Walkinshaw and others. Walkinshaw, Tholen and Allen first became so-called Whooper Pen Pals, then attempted to locate their Canadian nesting grounds in 1947 and 1948. Later they became founding members of the Whooping Crane Conservation Association, the first association devoted exclusively to saving a single species from extinction.

The South Jetty is soon to carrying copies of On the Wings of Cranes in their office at 141 W. Colter, Port A, Texas. Drop by or call 361-749-5137 to place your order.

On January 24, 2009, a day-long program will be hosted at Aransas Refuge near Austwell, Texas featuring On The Wings of Cranes. Friends of Aransas & Matagorda Island National Refuges of Austwell will offer copies for sale. Those buying a book from them helps to support activities important to programs held at the Refuge. Arrange to attend, purchase several copies… the beautiful book makes a great gift. Both the ‘Friends’ and the Refuge staff may be contacted at 361-286-3559.

Book signing starts at 9:00AM and runs until 3:00PM with a noon break. Over the noon hour, I will make a power-point presentation in the Refuge Conference room and share salient experiences when researching for the book. Join us, bring friends and family. The Whoopers are staging a magnificant comeback! Be there! The Refuge is a wonderfully unique wilderness area that offers everyone an opportunity to see the best of nature first hand.

Don’t forget to stop by and see the Whoopers from the tower at the Refuge. Wendy Ann Walkinshaw Schake, my wife of almost fifty years, will try to join us too. She remembers being at Aransas Refuge with her mother Clara, brother Jim, and her dad, Larry. They all stayed in one of the little white cabins immediately north of the Refuge at Hopper’s Landing. See you at Aransas.

14th Annual CraneFest kicks off this weekend in Belleview

This special article by reporter Chris Killian announced CraneFest on Monday, October 6, 2008. Killian relates the details of our interview and upcoming crane festivities.

BELLEVUE - When a baby bird hatches, it latches on to the first thing it sees.

Larry Walkinshaw had a similar experience nearly 80 years ago.

While hiking through some wilderness areas in 1931, Walkinshaw came upon a pair of cranes and their nest. What he saw and experienced there changed him forever, said Lowell Schake, Walkinshaw’s son-in-law and author of a newly released book, “On the Wings of Cranes: Larry Walkinshaw’s Life Story.”

“The cranes he saw started scolding him for finding their nest,” Schake said from his home near Corpus Christi, Texas. “And at that moment, Walkinshaw was imprinted by cranes forever. The sight of them completely changed his life.”

Walkinshaw, who practiced dentistry in Battle Creek for decades, died in 1993 at the age of 88, but not before he became the world’s foremost finder of bird’s nests and traveling the world to document all 15 crane species, Schake said.

Walkinshaw was also a leader in the push for formation of the Baker Sanctuary in Bellevue, located in northern Calhoun County. The sanctuary is now one of the most populated sandhill crane destinations in the country.

Those who are enamored by cranes, or just curious about these creatures, will have a chance to see them up close October 11 and 12 at the 14th Annual Michigan Audubon Society’s CraneFest at the Battle Creek Kiwanis Youth Area, next to the Baker Sanctuary.

The majestic birds can reach 4 to 5 feet tall, with a wingspan of nearly 7 feet.

In the 1940s, DDT and other chemicals cut hard into the sandhill crane population in Michigan, with only 17 pairs documented in the state [by Walkinshaw in the mid-1930s] at that time, said Wendy Tatar of the Michigan Audubon Society.

Now, thanks to conservation and educational efforts, the population has soared to never before seen heights, with 16, 707 pairs documemted in the state and 8,528 pairs seen at Baker Sanctuary in November 2007 — a new record for cranes at one location.

The cranes gather at the location due to the high amounts of food — mostly frogs — that are located there, as well as the copious amounts of shelter present. The sanctuary serves as a kind of pit stop where the birds fatten and nest before migrating south for the winter.

People are taken aback by the cranes distinctive call, as well as their ability to fly extraordinairly high, Tater said. She said the Michigan Audubon Society is expecting nearly 5,000 people to attend the weekend event.

Schake, a retired Aniimal-Food science professor, will be at Baker Sanctuary October 7 to 11. He said he is hoping for a large turnout for the festival and that people who attend capture some of the same feelings for cranes that Walkinshaw did so many years ago.

“He saw extraordinary beauty in cranes,” he said of Walkinshaw. “They are truly remarkable birds.”
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Previous to CraneFest a Prefest dinner was held at 6:30 PM, Friday October 10 at Convis Township Hall. The event featured Lowell Schake’s discussion on his book, “On the Wings of Cranes: Larry Walkinshaw’s Life Story.”
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Hit www.cranefest.org for related events and opportunities.

Book explores life of hero of American ornithology

I am reading the fascinating biography of a remarkable man who researched and helped to preserve several species of birds, among them the greater sandhill crane, the whooping crane and the Kirtland’s Warbler.

He was Dr. Larry Walkinshaw, member of a pioneer Michigan family. His life and achievements are all the more impressive because they took place against the background of the Great Depression. His hard-earned formal education included the difficult choice of first becoming a dentist to support his family. Ornithology research and field documentation were not a second choice but a co-choice by him for a career.

Lowell M. Schake, author of the book, is another remarkable man. He was Walkinshaw’s son-in-law. He and Wendy, his wife are residents of Port Aransas [Texas]. The book, “On the Wings of Cranes: Larry Walkinshaw’s Life Story,” will be featured in Corpus Christi Northwest Library’s Amateur Birding Series, the first of which will take place Nov. 15. Schake is a retired Texas A&M University college professor.

Schake, in writing this biography, fully used the abundant notes and documentation of research by his subject, a dedicated scholar, and worked it into the minute history of the family.

Walkinshaw’s interests began early and he was faithful to them all his life. A favorite book in boyhood was “Two Little Savages,” by E. T. Seton. Walkinshaw was later able to tell the author what inspiration he had found in his works.

One of his most remarkable skils was his ability to inspire others to cooperate and work with him. He led with total enthusiam in many public projects, was a dedicated Boy Scout leader, and was a member of many boards, including service as president of the Wilson Ornithological Society.

Walkinshaw’s pioneer ancestors settled around the Big Marsh in Michigan, so he spent many of his early years exploring the territory. Here he found bird nests and observed the development of their habitants. He felt a strong conviction and a compulsion to learn more about everything natural that came his way. As an adult he almost single-handedly saved the marsh from a fire.

On another occasion, he and his wife, Clara, found an anbandoned cranelet and raised it to adulthood. The little chick was named Brownie and became totally imprinted on human beings. Wendy (Walkinshaw’s daughter and Schake’s wife) was 3 years old at the time and remembers her little bird sister well.

Of special interest is a chapter on Walkinshaw’s field techniques. Dr. George Archibald said of this aspect, “His mother taught him how to take field notes.”

Another friend commented, “I swear Larry never filled his boots, he glided through the cattails with his hands folded…never getting stuck in the mud. He reminded me of St. Peter, walking on water.”

Accounts of sometimes perilous adventures always enjoyed by Walkinshaw make this book a page-turner. It has extensive extras including the catalog of acronyms and abbreviations, a list of characters who are famous or well-known friends and fellow scientist with whom Walkinshaw worked. Black and white snapshots and family portraits add to the insider feel given to the reader.

Of special interest are the chapters about Walkinshaw’s research at Aransas Wildlife Refuge and with the whooping crane. There are anecdotes of revelance to his writing two books, “The Sandhill Crane” and “Cranes of the World.” The book was edited by Walkinshaw’s son James R. Walkinshaw. This very complete, yet readable, book was obviously a labor of love, collecting the episodes and work of one of the heros of American Ornithology.
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Published in the weekly BIRD WATCH column of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Saturday, October 11, 2008, City Edition, Home & Garden Section, page 8E. Authored by columinist Phyllis Yochem, a Corpus Christi resident in ‘America’s Birdiest Region’, who has studied birds since 1960.

The Corpus Christi Northwest Branch Library offers a five month series on Amateur Birding highlighting On the Wings of Cranes: Larry Walkinshaw’s Life Story. Appropriately, Larry Walkinshaw, an amateur birder of extraordinary ability and motivation, represents a perfect match for the Northwest Branch Library that serves as the community focal point for amateur birders of all persuasions and all ages.

The program series start at 2:00 PM on November 15, 2008 in the Library’s Conference Room, 3202 McKinze Road, Corpus Christi, Texas. An overview of Walkinshaw’s life of birding contributions will kick-off the series. Author L. M Schake will narrate the entire series and be available to sign copies. Copies will be offered for sale to the public with all proceeds going to the Audubon Outdoor Club of Corpus Christi to support their nature conservation programs. For additional details on the series contact Lynda Whitton, Librarian at 361-241-9329 or lyndawh@cctexas.com, Jo Creglow with the Library and an Outdoor Club officer at bjcreglow@att.net or Pat Botkin the Outdoor Club member in charge of book sales at larbot@str.rr.com.

“This series of presentations is designed to inform and inspire those interested as private citizens to enhance the natural world,” according to Schake. Walkinshaw always believed that in the end,
concerned citizens made the difference. The winter programs are designed to be of special interest to visiting ‘Winter Texans’ residing in this ‘Birdiest of Regions’ in the nation. All meetings will conviene in the Library.

The 3:00 PM December 13th event addresses Christmas Bird Counting. Walkinshaw published on this event, one he loved and participated in for almost 70 years. At 2:00 PM on January 13th, 2009, Kirtland’s Warblers capture stage center as the last species Walkinshaw rescued from extinction. February will feature Whooping Cranes, another of three species Walkinshaw did more to save for longer than any. This Whooping Crane program will coincide with the Port Aransas, Texas Whooping Crane Celebrations of Febuary 26 thru March 1, 2009.

The March and April programs remain under discussion but tentatively include topics of special interest to youthfull naturalists. Come and participate. Helping everyone understand nature, helps us all. See you at the Library!

The Michigan Audubon Society’s Baker Sanctuary near Bellevue will be the public’s introduction to On The Wings of Cranes: Larry Walkinshaw’s Life Story. The October 10, 11 and 12, 2008 events feature the book along with thousands of Greater Sandhill Cranes roosting there. Proceed to http://www.cranefest.org/prefest.html for some of the details. The general public is invited to enjoy this spectacle as well as the works of many naturalists, artists and authors. The story behind the origin of this event is poignant.
All of Larry Walkinshaw’s ancestors were Michigan pioneers who settled around the ‘Big Marsh’. Three generations later Larry was born and grew-up within walking distance of this marsh of some 500 acres. By age 5 or 6 his interest in birds aroused him, at thirteen he first saw Greater Sandhill Cranes glid overhead as he worked in a nearby corn field. Then, shortly after he became an Honors graduate from the University Michigan School Denistry at age 25, he saw another Sandhill family. But in 1931 he discovered a nesting pair of Sandhills that, as he said “completely changed his life.”
What changed?
Walkinshaw and Aldo Leopold declared the cranes endangered. They thought fewer than 40 pair nested in the US where once thousands had lived. Larry led the cause for the Michigan Audubon Society to establish Baker Sanctuary in 1941, a k a the ‘Big Marsh’, as the World’s first sanctuary devoted to cranes. Subsquently he published the life histories on all the crane families in the world leading to his becoming The Father of International Crane Research and ‘the model life history scholar for Cranes, warblers and sparrows’! His 40 years of serving nearby Battle Creek as a dentist allowed him to finance his compulsion that led to him having done more for longer than any to save endangered Greater Sandhil Cranes of the east, the Whooping Cranes as America’s symbols of conservation and Michigan’s unique Kirtland’s Warblers.