Many pairs of Sandhill Cranes will be on nesting territories, with other small flocks of younger cranes assembled in area wetlands during the Midwest Crane Count (photo by Paul Konrad).
Join the International Crane Foundation and more than 1,800 volunteers on Saturday morning April 15 from 5:30 to 7:30am for the annual Midwest Crane Count. Each year participants travel to their local wetlands and favorite birding locations to survey Sandhill Cranes, and possibly Whooping Cranes, then report their observations. The survey takes place in more than 150 counties in 7 states – including all of Wisconsin and portions of Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio.
Each crane count site has a county coordinator who will assign a site for you to survey, and provide instructions that explain how to participate and report the data. You can check on the website Counter Information to view the list of counties included, the county coordinators, counter directions including how to download the data sheet and enter your survey information, along with other useful resource links.
If your county is not currently involved in the program and you are interested in becoming a county coordinator, you can contact the International Crane Foundation’s Crane Count Coordinator. Information collected will be provided on ICF’s website to study Sandhill Crane population trends, and is used to track new areas where cranes are colonizing. This survey also creates a greater awareness about cranes and the importance of their wetland habitats.
