Sandhill Crane Tour Number 1 A Success

October 15, 2011, Zimmerman, MN

Refuge headquarters was abuzz as fifty crane aficionados and five group leaders prepared for the 6:30 AM departure to the western edge of the refuge where 4068 sandhill cranes had been counted by refuge staff two days earlier. The cranes roost in the St Francis Pool area at night, then fly out to surrounding farm fields to forage and fatten up for their fall migration to Florida. The viewing and listening are spectacular in the morning as flights of cranes depart and at sundown as they return. The unforgettable calls of the sandhill crane invite us to reflect on it's origin, millions of years ago, as one of the oldest of existing bird species.

Early Morning Crane Watchers

A Flight of Cranes Bound for a Day of Foraging

At 9:00 AM the group returned to headquarters, said farewell to a few members and added some new members for the second part of the tour, a venturing forth to observe cranes in the surrounding farm fields where hundreds of cranes could be seen in one view. Observed crane behavior consisted primarily of standing around and looking like cranes. From time-to-time a couple would break into a bit of bond-reinforcing crane dance.

Sandhill cranes are wary. The size of the large group caused them to avoid flying directly overhead in the morning flights. In the fields they tended to fly further away as the car caravan approached. Cautiously moving individuals or small groups should have even better viewing than this group.

The parking area for crane viewing is to the left of County Road 3 about one-half mile west of County Road 5 and just before the split of County Roads 3 and 70.