Many bird watchers look forward to the annual crane count coordinated by the International Crane Foundation. This year, it was held on April 13.
Mark Martin and Susan Foote-Martin have been involved with the count since 1978, when Dorothy Haines introduced them at a Dane County Sandhill Crane Count Coordinators meeting. Dorothy, a longtime friend who was very active for decades with Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance (formerly known as Madison Audubon), passed away on Earth Day this year at the age of 102. Another longtime friend that liked cranes was Roland “Rollie” Manthe, who passed away a few months ago. Rollie grew up on the farm north of the east pond that has been in the family for over 90 years. Joy Erickson, Columbia County Crane Coordinator, mentioned that “Rollie always had high numbers of Sandhill Cranes at the three locations he surveyed over many years of counting.”
We will miss being able to share the joy of the crane count with Dorothy and Rollie this year, but we are happy that we are able to carry on this scientific endeavor that they were both such a key part of.
Columbia County
Erstad Prairie and USFWS Schoeneberg Marsh Waterfowl Production Area (Site #124), surveyed by volunteers
Volunteers found five Sandhills including two pairs calling in unison.
Goose Pond Sanctuary (Site #169),
surveyed by Graham Steinhauer and Mike Bertram Family
One of the crane nests at Goose Pond, from the Pond Cam.
Sandhill Cranes have been consistent and noisy Goose Pond inhabitants for the last two months. They preen and rest on the pond or wetland scrapes and visit fields twice per day to poke around for delicious waste corn. The Bertram family arrived at my house by 5:30 a.m. to log some conservation hours for Boy Scouts and to learn something new. The cranes did not disappoint. We saw 95 cranes on the morning of the count including two pairs calling in unison (on the west pond). Some honorable mentions include six Eastern Meadowlarks; 12 Ring-necked Pheasants; 1,900 Canada Geese, including a leucistic goose; and a pair of American Kestrels. A few minutes before concluding the count at 7:30, the Bertrams and I pulled back onto Prairie Lane. A pair of cranes were on a morning stroll, and they crossed the road less than 40 feet from our parked car. Look out for cranes! Data was entered on eBird.
On April 23, there were two crane nests in very shallow water on the west pond. One nest is near Goose Pond Road and the other nest is on the west side. We hope these nests are successful.
—Graham Steinhauer, Goose Pond land steward
Otsego Marsh (Site #168),
surveyed by volunteers
A volunteer that surveyed Otsego Marsh counted eight cranes and found two nests.
Wildland (Site #129),
surveyed by Mark Martin and Susan Foote-Martin
Sandhill Crane on a nest with a colt (photo by Richard Armstrong).
Wildland, an area protected with a Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance Easement owned by Mark and Sue, includes 87 acres of restored wetlands. This year, 14 Sandhill Cranes were found in the wetlands including one pair unison calling in the middle of the marsh. Ten other cranes were calling outside the site. Mark and Sue saw a total of 34 birds during the count, including a variety of waterfowl, and the following firsts of the year: Pied-billed Grebe, Virginia Rail, Sora, American Pipet, and Yellow-rumped Warbler. Data was entered on eBird.
—Mark Martin and Susan Foote-Martin, Goose Pond sanctuary managers
Rowan Creek Fishery Area and Hiking Trail (Site #159),
surveyed by Emma Raasch and Miles Roth
Miles Roth and I counted ten cranes at Rowan Creek Fishery Area and Hiking Trail (Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance provided partial funding for the boardwalk section of the trail). Before the sun rose, we listened to the back-and-forth who cooks for you of two nearby Barred Owls and the sharp winnowing of Wilson’s Snipes hiding in the emergent vegetation. It didn’t take long before American Robins, Song Sparrows, Northern Cardinals, and Swamp Sparrows joined the dawn chorus. In total, Miles and I saw 28 species during the two hour Crane Count. Some highlights include a perfect view of our first Ruby-crowned Kinglet of the year and the opportunity to watch a Hermit Thrush forage along the trail within an arm’s reach. Although we enjoyed watching and listening to the other birds, we stayed focused on estimating the number of crane calls we heard from different directions. Since we were in a woodland and pine planting, we didn’t see many of the ten cranes we counted: we only saw two lone cranes fly over, but we counted 4 pairs of cranes calling to each other from distinct directions. Data was entered on eBird.
—Emma Raasch, Goose Pond ecological restoration technician
Rock County
Fair Meadows Sanctuary (Site #3),
surveyed by friends of Penny and Gary Shackelford
Dancing Sandhill Crane (photo by Richard Armstrong).
We were out of town for our crane count, but we have three friends who have done it with us for many years, and they did it for us this year. They counted 11 cranes. It is designated “Site #3” in Rock County, and we have counted here since 1998. The site is looking over the large marsh on the west side of Fair Meadows which is contiguous with Lake Koshkonong. The cranes are counted as they rise up and leave the marsh or if they can be seen throughout the entire two hours. That way, none are counted twice. The observers noted that the highlight of the morning was a 30-minute crane dance about 150 yards from where they were standing.
Other species seen were Swamp Sparrow, Canada Goose, Song Sparrow, Mallard, Wood Duck, Green-winged Teal, Red-winged Blackbird, Bald Eagle, Northern Cardinal, American Coot,Tree Swallow, Osprey (building their nest on the platform), Northern Harrier, Double-crested Cormorant, Red-bellied Woodpecker and Trumpeter Swan.
This is a typical “low count” for us when the crane migration is pretty much over as it is this year (11–20). If we are in the midst or end of migration, we may have 60 to 100 cranes counted. For example, in 2022 the count was 64.
—Penny Shackelford, Fair Meadows sanctuary manager
Results for the 2024 Midwest crane count in SoWBA’s chapter area (table by Graham Steinhauer/SoWBA).
A few previous Goose Pond Friday Feathered Features (2022, 2019 and 2015) provide some additional information on cranes, one of our favorite birds. Thanks to everyone that coordinated and assisted with the 2024 count.
Written by the Goose Pond Sanctuary team with collaboration from the Fair Meadows Sanctuary team
Cover image: Three Sandhill Cranes in flight above Fair Meadows Sanctuary & SNA (photo by Gary Shackelford).
