Sandhill Crane March Migration!

Welcome back to Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge for the spring Sandhill Crane migration! Between late February and early April up to 27,000 Sandhill Cranes spend time preparing for the next, perhaps last, leg of their trip to breeding grounds primarily in the Yellowstone Eco-system. Although not near as many as travel through Nebraska heading to northern Canada, what a spectacular sight!

Thanks to Susan Alexander for the video. A good friend who loves birds as much as I do.

This year’s experience with the cranes was different from past visits. In both 2021 and 2022 we began the morning by visiting area ponds/lakes before sunrise and then watching the magnificent take off to feeding grounds. This year there were few to no cranes near the ponds so we drove to the other side of the Refuge to a large field where we had seen cranes in the past.

Arriving there about 7:15am, there was not a single crane in sight. Big sigh–then wondering where we should try next. Suddenly small groups of cranes arrived and then there were flocks coming in from every direction! By the time there were no more canes in the sky there were thousands in front of us stretching the entire length of the field with lines of cranes front to back.

As the last cranes were arriving, flocks of Canada Geese and a variety of ducks joined the feeding fest. This is a Northern Pintail pair which spend all year in the area.

Sandhill Cranes live between 20 to 30 years and typically breed at 2 to 5 years. Cranes bond for life, and pair bonding is established then reinforced each spring by their “dancing”. Dancing consists of leaping into the air, bowing, and flapping or stretching of their wings. Parents teach their youngsters the dances and adolescent cranes practice with each other.

Cranes’ typical habitat is open marshland for breeding, nights in shallow lakes or rivers, and days in pastures, grasslands, or wetlands. While they are here we see the pattern. In the evening and through the night cranes roost often in shallow water. This year the water level was high in many ponds/lakes so the cranes scattered in smaller flocks to shallower water across the San Luis Valley. Since the valley is the largest in Colorado, being 65 miles wide and 125 miles long, that’s a lot of ground to cover searching for cranes.

Instead, we waited at a possible feeding area and saw them landing en masse. Arriving at sunrise they stay until mid-morning.

From about 10am to 4pm cranes “loaf” by being in flocks from a few to a few hundred often near water but enjoy varied habitats where they occasionally feed on roots, tubers, invertebrates, and other food. Then around 4pm they return to active feeding grounds and then off to roost at sunset.

Their loafing offers us opportunities to see smaller groups and often get much closer. They don’t seem to mind us, then again I would not want get too close to a bird this big that fights off predators by kicking them. How big are they? They stand between three and four feet tall. I have seen them standing with their necks stretched as they gave a call and they seemed taller than me!

Sandhill Cranes are actually shades of gray, but often you’ll see reddish-brown color on them. This is because they preen by rubbing mud on their feathers. If the mud is in iron-rich environments it is often red and stains their feathers. However, one crane stuck out in the morning group. This is the first dark colored crane I’ve ever seen and it seems highly unlikely to have happened via preening.

Ahh . . . a good stretch while loafing, one leg, one wing.

It is the canes’ wing span that is impressive at 6 feet 7 inches. It is also remarkable that they fly with their legs straight behind them and neck straight as well. What a sight!

There are any number of cranes that stay in Colorado to breed, so here is hoping we see them again soon.

Until next time my friend . . .