Spooky sounds heard in local swamps

By Tom Hodgson

Before Chelsea was settled, this area was known as the “land of the black swamps.”

There was so much swamp land that earlier settlers moved on in search of more high ground suitable for farming. Those that did settle here were often forced to dig ditches to drain the swamps and dry out the land. The Army Corps of Engineers eventually accelerated this process.

Fortunately, some of these wetlands still remain as do some of the strange and interesting creatures that call them home.  The most impressive of which may be the greater sandhill crane. Its primordial call reminds us that it is the oldest living bird species in the world.   Standing four-feet tall with a six-and-a-half foot wing span, it is Michigan’s tallest nesting bird.

Anyone who lives near a local wetland has probably heard their booming vocals. In case you haven’t, click here.

Although we often see cranes feeding in area fields, and sometimes in our back yards; there are other swamp critters that seldom show themselves. They spend the bulk of their time skulking in the dense vegetation and making spooky noises.

One of the strangest sounds of all comes from the American bittern, a small member of the heron family that is colored to blend in with the marsh grasses. It is most often heard in the quiet of the morning or evening. I’ve been told its call sounds like someone operating an old fashioned hand-pump.  To me it sounds more like a vomiting dog. Anyone who owns a dog knows that sound.

To hear an American bittern click here. 

The tiny sora rail, only about 9-inches long, is seldom seen. Its descending whistle-like call is often heard from among the cattails.  Rails are all laterally flattened so they can slip easily between the stems of dense marsh vegetation.

To listen to a sora, click here and have patience, as he doesn’t call till the middle of the video. 

The moorhen is another secretive marsh dweller that has nested in the marsh on my property over the years. Much more common in the Southern U.S., but still found in Michigan. 

Click here to hear its call.

Listen for these sounds the next time you visit a local wetland.