Posts Tagged ‘sandhill cranes’

Here in central Wisconsin the Sandhill cranes are gathering once again in various staging areas to rest up for their long trip south.  The annual migration provides a perfect opportunity for you to see large numbers of sand hills all together IF you know where to look.   The Wisconsin DNR offers a very generalized map here.  On the other hand it’s a fair bet that anywhere you find a cornfield near fresh water  in our part of the state you stand a good change of seeing cranes at the moment.  Here in Sauk County there is one popular staging area on Shady Lane Rd., in Fairfield Township where hundreds of cranes can be seen just off the interstate.   Wherever you go to watch the cranes, your best bet is to arrive just before sundown when the cranes begin to settle in for the evening.

Once rested and fueled up, our local Sandhills will join thousands of others from all over the Great Lakes Region at their final staging area in the Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife area in Indiana before continuing on to Florida for the winter months.  If you want to catch the Wisconsin migration in action, we’d suggest you do it soon.  The only thing more amazing then thousands of noisy, dancing cranes, is how suddenly they disappear.

On a side note, Operation Migration which has become famous by leading whooping cranes on their migration by light plane is also in progress. Currently they are somewhere between LaSalle Co. to Livingston Co. in Illinois. You can follow their daily field journal here.

More:

• Pictures – More Crane Pics (pop-up slideshow) or Flickr page
• International Crane Foundation’s Sandhill Field Guide
• Map of Sandhill Ranges and Migrations
• Sandhill Cranes for kids from EEK! (WI DNR)
• Sandhill staging areas map
• Whooping Crane Migration Map
• Jasper Pulaski Fish & Wildlife Area

Minnesotans will have the opportunity to hunt sandhill cranes for the first time in decades beginning Saturday, Sept. 4th. The season will continue through Sunday, Oct.10. According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, sandhill cranes affected by the hunt occupy northwestern Minnesota and are part of the midcontinent population.  The number of cranes in this population is currently estimated at more than 450,000 birds and well above the goal of 349,000 individuals. Minnesota joins eleven other states in the midcontinent flyway to open a sandhill crane season.  For the moment, Wisconsin is not among them. Read the rest of this entry »

Now you’d never thought the day would come.  That day when a bunch of cranes are standing right in front of you and you simply put your camera away.  That’s how things began when we were out riding on the 400 trail this weekend.  “Just more cranes”, I said.

As that first pair of cranes flew off and I pondered the fact that I didn’t even feel the urge to take their picture, I saw 4 more far up the trail in the distance.  4 together seemed a bit rare. Maybe they were young.  I wondered, if I could take advantage of that old “chick parent” call I learned back when I worked at the International Crane Foundation here in Baraboo.  Read the rest of this entry »

The 22 mile 400 Trail between Reedsburg and Elroy never actually closes, however most cyclists & hikers do tend to stay away when it’s covered in snow.  Well, it’s time to load up the bikes, as the 400 trail is once again ready to ride.  The best part, is that this time of year they wildlife is out in force taking in the new spring weather just like the rest of us.

On Sunday we were able to watch Sandhill Cranes, a hawk, two Turkey Vultures & a river otter all frolicking around one small lake from our vantage point along the trail. In fact, as you can see (below) we had to wait a bit while a pair of cranes crossed in front of us.  Fantastic.

We were prepared for the trails to be in bad conditions having just been under heavy snow not so long ago, however we found them to be in good shape for the most part.  There were some slightly muddy areas and the generally damp track did put a little drag under your wheels, but really, nothing to complain about.

Trail passes are $4 daily or $20 per year and will not be available at any of the outlets along the trail until May.  We were directed by one local outlet to simply, “enjoy” until then.  We did.

More Information

• 400 Trail information @ DevilsLakeWisconsin.com
• Official 400 Trail Website
• Wisconsin DNR Admission Fees