Bewildered sandhill cranes are wandering a neighborhood following the destruction of their nests in a damaging mowing incident in The Villages.
Jim Rich of the Village of De La Vista scolded the Community Development District 1 Board of Supervisors on Friday at Savannah Center over the loss of precious wildlife habitat behind his home on Carrera Drive. The area, known as “Grass Pond,” is part of the larger Mark Gary Morse Preserve on the Tierra del Sol Championship Golf Course.
Rich and his neighbors were horrified in May when the wetland, drained by a recent drought, was mowed to the bone.
The next day, resident Dan Mahoney drove his golf cart over the wooden bridge that spans Grass Pond. Typically, he would spot up to 20 sandhill cranes in the area. They were all gone…