Known for sandhill crane viewing,
Haehnle Sanctuary is located
6 miles northeast of Jackson, Michigan
on Seymour Road.
Crane Count is Back!
Bird Species Count at Haehnle
Haehnle Sanctuary Brochure
Click here for directions to Haehnle
Click for driving map to view cranes
It wasn’t looking good tonight as we looked out on the snow covered marsh with the open water about 80% frozen. But then the cranes started to trickle in. Three pioneers held out alone on the ice for what seemed like forever. The first several groups looked a bit undecided, but they continued to circle and land on the ice with the others. There were odd flight patterns that I’ve never seen before. Cranes came in from the west, then just as they approached Eagle lake they swung east, and then came in from the east. Likely they were looking for another spot to land. We also had lots of activity and landing near Eagle Lake and Ross reported a lot of ducks there as well.
Total crane count was 1600, with many more to the west and north not counted.
Crane counters: Ross Green, Don Henise, Steve Jerant
Compiler: Steve Jerant
Another great week of crane activity at the Sanctuary. The count team, and we once again need a team to count them all, tallied 3,331 cranes staying in Mud Lake Marsh tonight. And they estimated an additional 2,000-3,000 settling in locations north of the property. Most of the traffic is still coming from the west. I counted over 2K cranes from the Dalton/Hawkins Rds. area last night which were heading in the direction of Haehnle Sanctuary.
We had several nice overflights above the observation area and 3 small murmuration of blackbirds way out over the marsh.
Two Mute Swan, likely displaced from the drained lake to our south, joined the 13 other species of varied waterbirds on our list this afternoon. And Tundra Swans were heard above, but not seen.
The weather is starting to chill, but it was not too windy, so we stayed comfortable.
Greeters will continue to staff the overlook area on Saturdays and Sundays until the end of November.
Crane counters: Ross Green, Don Henise, Robyn Henise
Haehnle Sanctuary and local USFWS Crane Count 10/31/2022
Tonight, we had three teams counting at Haehnle and locations north of the sanctuary for the annual USFWS Fall Sandhill Crane Survey. Haehnle volunteers participate each year to contribute to this nationwide crane count managed by the US Fish & Wildlife Service. Data from this survey help wildlife managers make sound decisions about cranes based on population estimates.
Gary Siegrist and Don & Robyn Henise worked Haehnle per the usual Monday schedule. The other two teams of Ron Hoffman & Ross Green and Lathe Claflin & Steve Jerant worked two portions of a neighboring property north of the Sanctuary. No counts were done in the Hawkins & Dalton Rds. area as the crane counts these past weeks have been low.
Gary and the Henise’s reported 1,297 cranes observed, of which 779 remained in the marsh for the evening. Lathe & I counted 1,755 total with 1714 staying on the property. Ron & Ross counted…0. This was we thought odd as they were in an area we saw many cranes moving towards from our station, but alas, they did not have any land for the evening.
Crane counters: Ross Green, Gary Siegrist, Don Henise, Robyn Henise, Lathe Claflin, & Steve Jerant
Compiler: Steve Jerant & Don Henise
Submitted by Steve Jerant
Crane Count: 1,297 (779 Stayed in Mud Lake Marsh)
Species count: 39
View Ross’s eBird checklist at https://ebird.org/checklist/S119930208
At 4:37 PM the sun came out. Then at 4:41 PM, it clouded over and started to drizzle again. But it was a beautiful moment. Although it did get very dark, we had some openings, then a rainbow, a little one, but it came down just some hundred yards north of the apple tree below us. Around 6:30 the sun broke through and lit up the marsh and the trees in the far distance. Haehnle is really a great place to watch weather.
Ross and I worked the crane count this afternoon till after sundown. We saw 197 cranes with 147 of them staying the evening. We had several direct flyovers but most of the traffic came from the west. We had some ducks in the close water and Trumpeter & Mute swans in the back water. A pair of Wilson’s Snip did two flyovers for us. American Robins and of course blackbirds were in great abundance tonight. The robins buzzing over our heads and the blackbirds in the marsh. We even saw a few small murmuration.
Six visitors braved the conditions for a view of the cranes tonight. The best viewing time for cranes in the last hour before sunset.
Crane counters: Ross Green & Steve Jerant
We did not do an official count tonight at the Sanctuary. I’m submitting a count I did last night while working as a weekend greeter.
The weather cleared in time for some visitors to come out and enjoy the view and get to see some cranes come into the marsh. We had three flyovers totaling about 14 birds from a grand total of only 27. A bit more than half, 18, roosted in the marsh overnight.
Crane counters: Steve Jerant
Compiler: Steve Jerant
Submitted by Steve Jerant
Crane Count: 18 (27 total observed)
Species count: 16
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 11/16/21
Tonight was overcast and we saw little activity. Only 8 cranes spotted in two groups, none will be roosting. Two Northern Harriers are still working the marsh and many ducks remain in the open water. We had two small groups of starlings and blackbirds. It snowed yesterday and a little remains on the ground. But it will burn off in the next few days and we expect temperatures to be in the high 30’s so we’ll likely count next week.
Crane counters: Ross Green, Gary Siegrist, and Steve Jerant
Compiler: Steve Jerant
Submitted by Steve Jerant
Crane Count: 0 (8 total observed)
Species count: 21
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 11/8/21
It was a lovely warm afternoon for our first count under Standard Time. The temperature was great and no mosquitos. Also, no cranes, staying overnight anyway. We did count 43 cranes, 8 of which were in the marsh but left before sundown. Even though the count was low, 18 of those birds did fly over the Harold Wing Overlook so we could get a good view of these Sandhill Cranes we’re always talking about. I did not hear any juveniles in those fly-bys.
The ducks were very active, and we counted 8 species of waterbirds. The raptor activity was good with an early sighting of several Bald Eagles then a low flyover right as we were leaving.
Cranes are active in the surrounding areas, including good numbers (over 1000) in the Hawkins/Dalton Rds. Areas west of the Sanctuary.
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 11/1/21
Tonight, the Hahenle team participated in the annual US Fish & Wildlife Service crane count. This helps to provide the USFWS with the best estimate of size and trend of the Eastern Population of Sandhill Cranes.
Gary Siegrist ran solo tonight at Haehnle and saw just 13 flybys and no cranes roosting tonight. He did get a Merlin though!
Ross Green and Lathe Claflin counted on Hawkins Road. They had a busy end of night on their two sections and counted 725 cranes. (Ross reports that there were 381 last night at Stony Lake in Napoleon).
Ron Hoffman and I counted at Dalton Rd. overlooking the prison property to the west. There was a lot of continuous activity with cranes coming into the wet area and also going out. Our “outie” count was high at 817, but the cranes came pouring in during the last moments before it got dark. We counted 1,975 coming in so netted 1,158 roosting in the wetland this evening.
We also saw hundreds of cranes feeding in the surrounding fields on Hawkins and Dalton Roads before we started to count. Cranes are in the area, but with the high water in the Sanctuary our roosting numbers continue to be low.
Crane counters: Gary Siegrist, Ross Green, Lathe Claflin, & Steve Jerant
Compiler: Steve Jerant
Submitted by Steve Jerant
Crane Count: 0 (13 total observed)
Species count: none for tonight
It was a blustery afternoon on the lookout today. We observed two small groups of cranes for a total of 9 individuals.
None of them will be spending the night in the Sanctuary. High wind, rain, and low visibility helped keep our species count down.
Species count: 38
Gary's eBird checklist available HERE
You can view past postings and historical crane counting data on the Haehnle web site at http://www.haehnlesanctuary.org/crane-count
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 10/25/21
There was a lot of duck activity and we got one lone Great Egret roosting in Mud Lake Marsh.
A small group (for starlings) did a quick murmuration for us before settling down for the evening.
Crane counters: Ross Green, Gary Siegrist, & Steve Jerant
Compiler: Steve Jerant
Submitted by Steve Jerant
Crane Count: 0 (9 total observed)
Species count: 27
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 10/18/21
Well, we doubled our count of cranes from last week to 10. That said, we are not seeing many cranes in the area during the day in other areas near the Sanctuary. Families of 2 or 3 and small groups are being observed but no large gatherings yet. The field crops have not all been harvested, and it has been quite warm.
But when the crane counts are low we can watch all the other bird activity from the overlook and the trails. There were a good variety of other species groups: ducks & water birds-11; sparrows & finches-8; raptors & shrike-8.
This is the second week in a row having seen 5 Northern Harriers. Our Northern Shrike is back so we are hoping we’ll be seeing him more as things cool down.
Crane counters: Ross Green & Steve Jerant
Compiler: Steve Jerant
Submitted by Steve Jerant
Crane Count: 10 (18 total observed)
Species count:
50 species
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 10/11/21
Only 5 cranes were observed and none of them overnighted in the marsh.
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 10/4/21
I think only the ducks had a good day but we were able to do our observations tonight through breaks in the rain. The water in Mud Lake Marsh was high and a visibly larger area was evident than just one week ago. Changing full and partial sunlight along with dark clouds made for some spectacular views.
The largest movement of birds were the wood ducks and the blackbirds, but these were more muted than normal due to the weather. The great egrets continue to roost for the evening and watching them glide in bright white against a black sky is always a treat for me.
There were just a few raptors tonight and for one of them, we could not agree if it was a falcon or an accipiter.
Only a single pair of cranes will be roosting tonight. If it was the same pair as last week, we thank them for their patronage.
Crane counters: Ross Green, Gary Siegrist & Steve Jerant
Compiler: Steve Jerant
Submitted by Steve Jerant
Crane Count: 02 (8 total observed)
Species count: 30
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 9/27/21
We kicked off the 2021 season today. The only cranes that were in the marsh were seen when we arrived this afternoon. Some cranes were spotted coming down just to our north and others were heard to the south.
Egrets made a strong showing tonight and all roosted together with our two cranes. The sparrows were not too plentiful but we had lots of waxwings feasting on black cherries and pokeberry. Three Northern Harriers were active during most of our time on the overlook. They moved over most of the area working the marsh as normal but also coming up the emergent marsh as well as soaring higher in the sky. Our big treat was a Common Gallinule which is a somewhat rare sighting for Haehnle.
It was a beautiful afternoon with the colors just barely starting to show. A few groups of Canada Geese came in just after sundown and a single bat, likely a Big Brown, closed out the night observations.
Crane counters: Ross Green, Gary Siegrist & Steve Jerant
Compiler: Steve Jerant
Submitted by Steve Jerant
Crane Count: 02 (32 total observed)
Species count: 31
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 12/7/20
Winter has arrived but some Black Ducks were able to find the small amount of liquid water left in Mud Lake Marsh. We had a flyby of an adult Bald Eagle and a pair of Red-tailed Hawks. They flew by during one of the short periods where the setting sun lit up the vegetation and turned it a brilliant golden. One lone muskrat was spotted feasting on some frozen veggies.
And yes, we did have some cranes. We expected to see none, so the 60 or so that came into the marsh were a bit of a surprise. Some were coaxed out to find better digs for the evening, but 41 will be staying.
This will be out final count for the year. Once the ice is set in the marsh, the cranes no longer come to roost. The Phyllis Haehnle Memorial Sanctuary is open all year round and each season offers different opportunities. So, while the cranes may not be here until next spring, you don’t have to be a stranger. Please visit if you can and enjoy this gem of Jackson county.
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 11/30/20
The wonderful thing about nature is how variable it can be. Last week we had a pretty big crane count, lots of flyovers. This week, not so much, as they say. Several groups of cranes came in around 4 PM so I thought his was going to be another great week, then the rush went to a trickle, then it was just cold and windy. The final roosting count was 156, about 1/10th of last week.
Some cranes were coming down north of the Sanctuary but not in huge numbers. Visibility was impaired by low light and some snow, so I’m sure we missed observations both in and out of the property.
It was a pretty good raptor night including a pair of Red-tailed Hawks soaring from the east to the west behind the overlook. They were quite vocal, and I heard them before I saw them. Ross got a pair of juvenile Bald Eagles over at Eagle lake.
We still are getting ducks and there was a large group of Hoodies over on Eagle Lake. The waterfowl in Mud Lake Marsh were tough to ID with the poor conditions.
Crane counters: Ross Green & Steve Jerant
Compiler: Steve Jerant
Submitted by Steve Jerant
Crane Count: 156 (307 total observed)
Species count: 19
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 11/23/20
The pain in my clicker thumb told me it was going to be a good night. We counted a total of 2,506 cranes from the overlook. Of those, 1,681 will be spending the night. 2015 was the last year we broke the 1,000 crane milestone. Early traffic was coming in from the western side. Then the eastern approaches started to get very busy as well. The count was about even between the two sides. In the past weeks the west side brought in the most birds. We were seeing multiple groups of 20+ coming in from both sides. This is activity we’ve not seen in many years.
Lots of ducks are coming in with Shovelers being well represented.
If you’ve never watched the cranes leave in the morning, tomorrow might be a good time to try. They leave in a relatively short period of time and it’s quite a spectacle. This occurs shortly after sunrise.
Crane Count: 1,681 (2,506 total observed)
Species count: 17
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 11/16/20
We had a banner day at the sanctuary with more cranes roosting than were observed passing through. No huge groups came in, but we had steady activity for nearly an hour around sunset and beyond. Also, lots of flyovers directly above us on the overlook. While it was a bit chilly and windy, we had good sun and were able to see the setting sun hit a Rough-legged Hawk perfectly to clinch the ID. In addition to the cranes we had lots of ducks and a single Great Blue Heron, perhaps the last of the season.
Crane counters: Ross Green & Steve Jerant
Compiler: Steve Jerant
Submitted by Steve Jerant
Crane Count: 699 (1113 total observed)
Species count: 18
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 11/2/20 (no count 11/9/20)
We left Gary all by himself tonight while Ross and I counted other locations for the USFWS Annual Crane Survey.
Gary reported, “We had two new species arrive at the sanctuary from this weekend's storms. One was a American Tree Sparrow and the other was a Rough-legged Hawk. We also counted 377 sandhill cranes roosting in Mud Lake Marsh with another 656 cranes flying by north of the sanctuary.”
Ross counted 786 roosting at Hawkins Rd. near Portage Lake. Always a popular spot.
Ron Hoffman & I counted 698 on private property north of Haehnle Sanctuary. That was about a 4000% increase from last year’s count for that location. It was a clear night and my region to watch was due west. I did my best Galileo impression by accidentally looking at the sun with binoculars while following a large group of cranes. But we did have a beautiful sunset.
The cranes did a great job getting counted tonight-be sure you do the same tomorrow on Election Day!
Crane counters: Gary Siegrist
Compiler: Gary Siegrist
Submitted by Steve Jerant
Crane Count: 377 (1033 total observed)
Species count: 23
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 10/26/20
We’ve moved from cool to cold but we still had a lot of visitors watching for cranes tonight. The rain last week likely moved our water level up a bit which makes our crane counts go down. There were several good flyovers above the Harold Wing lookout despite the relatively low numbers of cranes that stayed in Mud Lake Marsh tonight. Cranes are still coming down from the UP, so we expect traffic to continue through Jackson county.
We saw a pair of Trumpeter Swans with a cygnet in tow-always good to see the generations continuing. An egret and a heron joined the ducks in the march while 3 harriers coasted above the water and grass.
Next Monday we will be participating in the annual USFWS annual crane count.
Crane counters: Gary Siegrist & Steve Jerant
View the checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S75194980
You can also view past postings
JAS Blog page at http://jacksonaudubon.org/
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 10/19/20
We had 534 cranes seen last night from observation hill with 324 staying to roost in Mud Lake Marsh. Most of the cranes flew right over where we were standing. Good raptor night with 3 Bald Eagles (one was an adult that caught prey so young could feed), 2 Northern Harriers (Adult male and juvenile), 2 Red-tail Hawks, and 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk. There was lots of waterfowl to be seen with a scope including the Trumpeter Swans. Despite the weather it was a good night.
Crane counters: Gary Siegrist & Ross Green
Compiler: Gary Siegrist
Submitted by Steve Jerant
Crane Count: 324 (534 total observed)
Species count: 50
View the checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S75194980
You can also view past postings
JAS Blog page at http://jacksonaudubon.org/
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 10/12/20
We had a good deal of crane activity tonight. Near sunset there were about ten close flyovers above the overlook. Two groups had juvenile cranes due to the squeaky call.
I’d estimate 50 to 75 cranes flew into and over Haehnle but only 7 will spend the night at the Sanctuary. There was a lot of crane activity observed to the northwest.
In addition to the cranes we had three Norther Harrier including a male juvenile that was getting his adult coloration coming in.
There were lots of ducks, but the weather was affecting visibility and the coming storm reduced our light.
Crane counters: Gary Siegrist, Ross Green, & Steve Jerant
Compiler: Steve Jerant
Submitted by Steve Jerant
Crane Count: 7 (312 total observed)
Species count: 38
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S74760448
You can view past postings and historical crane counting data on the Haehnle web site at http://www.haehnlesanctuary.org/crane-count and
JAS Blog page at http://jacksonaudubon.org/
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 10/5/20
The count tonight was uneventful. We saw a trio of immature Norther Harriers, a few fall warblers, and six sparrow species. With the Egrets a no-show and only one Great Blue Heron, I’m thinking fishing season looks to be coming to an end. Only 7 cranes settled in the marsh and most of them left before sunset. This night was clear and the colors are just starting, so I’m looking forward to some spectacular sunsets in the weeks ahead on the marsh.
Crane counters: Gary Siegrist, Ross Green, & Steve Jerant
Compiler: Steve Jerant
Submitted by Steve Jerant
Crane Count: 2 (132 observed in the area)
Species count: 38
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 9/21/20
We had a clear night for watching birds from the overlook and along the trails at Haehnle. Highlights include both black and yellow-billed Cuckoos, 6 migrating warbler species, two Common Nighthawks, and another Black-Crowned Night Heron again this week. Cranes were few, with only two in the march but they did not stay overnight in Mud Lake Marsh.
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 9/14/20
We started our Monday crane counts at the sanctuary this evening. A Black-crowned Night Heron was spotted on the edge of the marsh. There were lots of robins moving to the west for the nightly roost. Four cranes will be spending the night in Mud Lake Marsh.
This week was the USFWS fall crane count. So this is the official government count for us: 2. Ron Hoffman & I counted in an adjacent property to the north of the sanctuary and our numbers were about the same.
eBird checklist is available at: https://ebird.org/checklist/S61196527
Crane counters: Gary Siegrist & Ross Green
Compiler: Gary Siegrist
Submitted by Steve Jerant
Crane Count: 02 (21 observed in the area)
Species count: 31
You can view past postings and historical crane counting data at
Haehnle site at http://www.haehnlesanctuary.org/crane-count and
JAS Blog page at http://jacksonaudubon.org/
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 10/28/19
The rain this week certainly had an effect on the count this Monday. Gary counted about 120 cranes with only 20 staying to roost. He was alone yesterday and was balancing some public relations duties while trying to count, so the numbers are likely a bit low.
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 10/21/19
The cranes are back!
It was warm, the sun was shining, the wind was mild, the tress were in full color, only three mosquito bites-a prefect night. I counted nearly 500 cranes last night while working as a greeter along with Carol. In addition to the cranes, nearly 60 visitors were at the overlook or walking the trails. In the 5 o’clock hour we had well over a hundred come in with many flying above the overlook. Several juvenile calls were heard.
Later, close to sunset, the reminder flew into the marsh, predominantly from the northwest. We had some good flyovers and a strong finish for the night.
Of note: we observed three Norther Harriers.
Due to expected bad weather tonight, this will serve as the official crane count for the week. You can see from the low number of species below I did not have our expert birders, Gary & Ross with me.
eBird checklist is available at: https://ebird.org/checklist/S60817600
Crane counters: Steve Jerant, Carol Strahler
Compiler: Steve Jerant
Submitted by Steve Jerant
Crane Count: 487 observed, majority landed in the marsh
Species count: 14
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 10/14/19
It was a beautiful fall evening at the sanctuary. Gloves and hats were in use, so the season is finally changing. Crane numbers continue to be rather low and only 14 of the 24 cranes seen tonight will be roosting in Mud Lake Marsh. It is getting colder up north as well so we expect to see more crane traffic coming down to us in the next few weeks.
Sparrows were quite active around the overlook with 5 species observed. We had some Great Egrets and a good variety of waterfowl in the marsh. Gary was commenting that we have not seen the Bald Eagle yet this year and the next moment one appeared in his scope.
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 10/7/19
A quiet night at the Sanctuary. There was very little bird activity at the overlook and in the marsh. Ten cranes were seen and only 2 will be staying the night.
But we did have apple pie, so...
eBird checklist is available at: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S60439786
Crane counters: Gary Siegrist, & Steve Jerant
Compiler: Steve Jerant
Submitted by Steve Jerant
Crane Count: 2 (10 observed in the area)
Species count: 30
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 9/30/19
On this unseasonably warm evening we had more mosquitoes than cranes. Only 18 roosted in the marsh. Most of them arrived in one flight so our hopes were up for a big night, but it was not to be.
Seven species of raptors were observed and we had a lot of sparrows near the overlook. Not a whole lot of blackbird activity but the fog coming in over the sanctuary from the west provided a nice view. On my way out I saw three bats in the parking lot, a bit late to help with all my bug bites.
eBird checklist is available at: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S60249001
Crane counters: Gary Siegrist, Ross Green, & Steve Jerant
Compiler: Steve Jerant
Submitted by Steve Jerant
Crane Count: 18 (22 total observed)
Species count: 45
1 Cackling Goose
51 Canada Goose
40 Wood Duck
3 Mallard
4 Pied-billed Grebe
1 Mourning Dove
1 Virginia Rail --
2 American Coot
22 Sandhill Crane -- 18 roosted in the marsh.
2 Great Blue Heron
4 Great Egret
3 Turkey Vulture
2 Northern Harrier
2 Cooper's Hawk
2 Red-tailed Hawk
3 Red-bellied Woodpecker
1 Downy Woodpecker
1 Hairy Woodpecker
1 Pileated Woodpecker
1 Northern Flicker
1 American Kestrel
1 Merlin
1 Eastern Wood-Pewee
1 Eastern Phoebe
3 Blue Jay
1 American Crow
2 Tufted Titmouse
1 House Wren
4 Marsh Wren
1 Gray Catbird
2 Eastern Bluebird
7 American Robin
40 Cedar Waxwing
1 American Goldfinch
5 Chipping Sparrow
1 Field Sparrow
4 White-crowned Sparrow
3 White-throated Sparrow
4 Song Sparrow
2 Lincoln's Sparrow
10 Swamp Sparrow
500 Red-winged Blackbird
1 Nashville Warbler --
1 Common Yellowthroat
2 Indigo Bunting
Number of Taxa: 45
You can view past postings and historical crane counting data at
Haehnle site at http://www.haehnlesanctuary.org/crane-count and
JAS Blog page at http://jacksonaudubon.org/
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 9/23/19
It was good to see an increase in numbers this week. We had 157 total cranes and about half, 83, will be spending the night. More cranes are gathering in the new habitat that has resulted from the removal of buckthorn by the fen.
Ross spotted an American Kestral perched in the same area. Other highlights included a hummingbird, Sharp-shinned Hawk, and a female scarlet tanager. A pack of coyotes serenaded us before we left.
eBird checklist is available at: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S60065230
Crane counters: Gary Siegrist, Ross Green, & Steve Jerant
Compiler: Steve Jerant
Submitted by Steve Jerant
Crane Count: 83 (157 observed in the area)
Species count: 40
A70 Canada Goose
2 Mute Swan
3 Trumpeter Swan -- 2 adults and a sygnet
40 Wood Duck
75 Mallard
4 American Black Duck
4 Mourning Dove
1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird
157 Sandhill Crane -- 83 stayed in the marsh
3 Great Blue Heron
11 Great Egret
6 Turkey Vulture
1 Sharp-shinned Hawk
2 Red-bellied Woodpecker
2 Downy Woodpecker
1 Hairy Woodpecker
2 Northern Flicker
1 American Kestrel
1 Eastern Wood-Pewee
1 Eastern Phoebe
6 Blue Jay
7 American Crow
3 Black-capped Chickadee
4 White-breasted Nuthatch
2 House Wren
1 Carolina Wren
2 Gray Catbird
10 Eastern Bluebird
1 Wood Thrush
100 American Robin
12 Cedar Waxwing
6 American Goldfinch
4 Chipping Sparrow
4 Field Sparrow
1 Song Sparrow
3 Swamp Sparrow
2000 Red-winged Blackbird
5 Common Yellowthroat
1 American Redstart
1 Scarlet Tanager -- Female
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 9/16/19
Well, we may not have had a lot of cranes tonight but we saw lots of monarch butterflies. They continually flew into our field of vision while we were scanning the marsh with our scopes.
The habitat restoration that has been done behind the kiosk is providing a nice spot for songbirds. Most of the songbirds in the species list below were observed there.
Our blackbird count is obviously an estimate but is indicator of the massive numbers we saw tonight. We had fly bys from both sides of the overlook as well as the normal traffic from the west. Egrets continue to come in along with herons.
eBird checklist is available at: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S59864620
Crane counters: Gary Siegrist, Ross Green, & Steve Jerant
Compiler: Steve Jerant
Submitted by Steve Jerant
Crane Count: 10 (63 observed in the area)
Species count: 34
15 Canada Goose
40 Wood Duck
40 Mallard
5 Mourning Dove
2 Common Nighthawk
73 Sandhill Crane -- 10 stayed in marsh
1 Killdeer
1 Wilson's Snipe
4 Great Blue Heron
7 Great Egret
12 Turkey Vulture
2 Northern Harrier
1 eagle sp. -- About one mile away. Unable to verify which type but flight profile was eagle.
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
1 Hairy Woodpecker
1 Northern Flicker
1 Eastern Wood-Pewee
1 Eastern Phoebe
3 Blue Jay
2 American Crow
1 Barn Swallow
1 White-breasted Nuthatch
1 House Wren
1 Gray Catbird
200 American Robin
25 Cedar Waxwing
3 American Goldfinch
2 Field Sparrow
2 Song Sparrow
4000 Red-winged Blackbird
1 Brown-headed Cowbird
300 Common Grackle
1 Common Yellowthroat
1 Northern Cardinal
1 Indigo Bunting
Number of Taxa: 35
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 9/9/19
We had a beautiful night to kick off the 2019 crane counts. A total of 47 cranes were counted, with 5 staying in the marsh. Nighthawks were active both above the marsh and near the overlook.
Crane counters: Gary Siegrist, Ross Green, & Steve Jerant, compiler and submitter
Crane Count: 5 (47 observed in the area)
Species count: 23
35 Canada Goose
30 Wood Duck
50 Mallard
3 Mourning Dove
6 Common Nighthawk
47 Sandhill Crane -- 5 stayed in marsh
5 Great Egret
1 Turkey Vulture
2 Northern Harrier
1 Cooper's Hawk
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
1 Hairy Woodpecker
1 Eastern Wood-Pewee
1 Eastern Phoebe
4 Tree Swallow
3 Barn Swallow
3 Eastern Bluebird
80 American Robin
15 Cedar Waxwing
9 American Goldfinch
500 Red-winged Blackbird
1 Common Grackle
2 Common Yellowthroat
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 11/19/2018
Most of the water on the marsh was frozen but a patch to the northwest was open enough for some dozens of wildfowl to gather. We had 74 cranes come in to roost for the night. They gathered on the ice near their normal roosting location. The weather held above freezing and we had a touch of rain after sunset.
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 11/12/2018
About 800 cranes were observed today but only 312 roosted in the marsh. Most of the 500 that did not spend the night with us came down in adjoining property to the west. The weather was fair with a good splash of golden light near sunset. We had some great flyovers with dozens of cranes in several groups simultaneously flying above the overlook. I think the crowd of about 25 visitors enjoyed the show.
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 11/5/2018
We had an estimated total of 1200 cranes seen. We counted 617 roosting in the marsh. We saw a lot of cranes to the north going down left of the barn. Ron Hoffman and Don Siegrist were counting over there tonight. It will be interesting to hear what numbers they ended up with. Ron did call early on to tell us that they had the Whooping Crane fly out going north from their sight.
We had lots of cranes fly into Haehnle from overhead to the delight of all the visitors. The Northern Shrike made a couple of appearances. The marsh really lit up as the sun went down and we were blessed a gorgeous rainbow.
Don’s eBird checklist is available at: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S49383486
Crane counters: Don Henise & Robyn Henise
Compiler: Don Henise
Crane Count: 617 (12004 observed flying in area)
Species count: 36
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 10/22/2018
We had a very busy crane count this afternoon. Over 1300 cranes were observed from the overlook with an official 903 roosting in the marsh this evening. Unlike last week, the traffic was coming in from all points, with the majority from the west. The weather was mild and sunny and we enjoyed a dash of red at sunset followed by a full moon.
Egrets and great blue heron are still coming in along with all the usual avian visitors including groups of blackbirds and robins. Just before we left, Don and Robyn spotted two American Woodcock.
eBird checklist is available at: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S49383486
Crane counters: Don Henise, Robyn Henise, Ross Green & Steve Jerant
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 10/15/2018
We are back in business! 345 cranes will be spending the night in the Mud Lake Marsh this evening. A total of 451 were observed. Nearly 300 of them flew in about 6:40 PM in the span of about 2 minutes! We heard lots of juveniles as they flew by.
We had an unofficial count of nearly 500 on Saturday evening.
A small group of egrets and a solo great blue heron also settled in for the evening. Temperatures in the low 40s and a 15 mph wind meant no mosquitoes this week.
eBird checklist is available at: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S49222463
Crane counters: Don Henise, & Steve Jerant
Compiler: Steve Jerant
Submitted by Steve Jerant
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 10/8/2018
The crane count totaled 36 on this unseasonably warm day. There are lots of cranes in the Jackson area but we did not see a lot of activity over the marsh or to the north. As with previous weeks we did have several groups coming into the Sanctuary above the overlook, so visitors did get some close views of the cranes. Three egrets and one heron were seen as well as a trumpeter swan. The black birds were active, and we observed several large flocks. The species count was fairly high, see below. We closed the evening with a visit from two bats, likely big browns.
eBird checklist is available at: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S49064798
Crane counters: Ross Green, Don Henise, & Steve Jerant
Compiler: Steve Jerant
Submitted by Steve Jerant
Crane Count: 38, 44 observed flying in area
Species count: 46
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 10/1/2018
Despite increasing fog settling over the marsh, we are happy to report an increase in the crane count from last week. We observed 145 cranes settling in for the evening. Most of the traffic came in near the overlook area with several flying directly over us.
Sparrows and warblers as well as egrets and herons were seen tonight. A flock of chimney swifts came by, but not low enough to help with the mosquitoes that were visiting with us. We always check the flocks of blackbirds and were rewarded with about 15 rusty blackbirds added to our count.
eBird checklist is available at: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S48876395
Crane counters: Ross Green, Don Henise, & Steve Jerant
Compiler: Steve Jerant
Submitted by Steve Jerant
Crane Count: 145, 157 observed flying in area
Species count: 37
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 9/24/2018
Our rainy, dreary afternoon was brightened by over a hundred cranes coming into the Sanctuary. This was our second official count week and the numbers are going in the right direction. The cranes arrived earlier than usual and flew in fast (but not furious) and seemed more determined to land than they have been in the past year. We had several flyovers above the overlook which is always a treat.
Great egrets continue to roost as well as a few herons. Ross found some migrating warblers and we had a big overflight of robins.
eBird checklist is available at: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S48726998
Crane counters: Ross Green, Gary Siegrist, Don Henise, & Steve Jerant
Compiler: Steve Jerant
Submitted by Steve Jerant
Crane Count: 104, 106 observed flying in area
Species count: 35
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 9/11/2018
Haehnle Sanctuary began weekly crane counts Monday afternoon. Ross Green & I observed only 14 cranes passing through and none stayed overnight. The weather was mild and while it was cloudy most of the time, we did get a treat of some yellow sun splash that turned incoming egrets yellow and gave us a hint of fall colors coming to the marsh.
In addition to the egrets, other highlights included chimney swifts, a barred owl, and an end of day serenade from some field sparrows. Ross had a good afternoon with 8 warbler and vireo species.
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 11/13/2017
Crane observations were few this evening but our northern shrike remained on his perch keeping us company. A few whitetail deer, including 2 bucks, popped out of the fen for a look at us. They seemed a bit anxious, not sure why…
Blackbird counts are coming down into low three figures from flocks of thousands in earlier weeks and our first American tree swallow sighting is telling us the season is winding down. The water in Mud Lake Marsh is still liquid and temperatures will be above freezing so we will continue counts next week.
My eBird checklist of 26 species is available at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S40494350
Crane counters: Ross Green, Don Henise, and Gary Siegrist
Compiler: Steve Jerant
Submitted by Steve Jerant
Crane Count-0, ~100 observed flying in area
Species count-26
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 11/06/2017
About 150 cranes were seen flying to the north of Mud Lake Marsh but none landed in the Sanctuary this evening. High water levels are likely the cause of low numbers of cranes roosting in the marsh. We did have a good sunset and several bald eagle sightings. A great blue hereon and a Greater yellowlegs tells us the season is not yet over.
My eBird checklist of 33 species is available at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S40356398
Crane counters: Ross Green, Don & Robyn Henise, and Gary Siegrist
Compiler: Steve Jerant
Submitted by Steve Jerant
Crane Count-0, ~150 observed flying in area
Species count-33
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 10/23/2017
It was a dark and stormy evening…
Don, Ross, and I enjoyed close company huddled under the kiosk tonight as 340 cranes came into the Sanctuary. We had the most flyovers that I’ve seen this year, which is ironic as we could not look up as we were under the kiosk. Anyway, visibility was bit limited but we felt pretty comfortable about the crane count. The other species count were low, but we did get a snow goose, 10 great egrets, and several big flocks of robins. We normally get lots of blackbirds stirring in the marsh and beyond, but we had multiple flybys of European starlings doing their amazing flocking behaviour.
My eBird checklist of 25 species is available at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S40092549
Crane counters: Ross Green and Don Henise
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 10/16/2017
We enjoyed a beautiful autumn evening at the Sanctuary today. The colors are coming into peak, which unfortunately is more than I can say about the crane counts. Recent rain is likely causing the low numbers. Great Egrets continue to come into the sanctuary as do many ducks and thousands of blackbirds.
My eBird checklist of 40 species is available at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S39966798
Crane counters: Gary Siegrist, Ross Green, and Don Henise
Compiler: Steve Jerant
Submitted by Steve Jerant
Crane Count-155
Species count-40
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 10/9/2017
Crane counts were a bit down Monday evening to about 390. The team did see a few large lines of cranes land to the north of the Portage River, slightly left of the Zone 4 barn.
Crane Count - 355
Species Count - 26
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 10/2/2017
Visitors and crane counters watched about 500 cranes fly into the Mud Lake marsh tonight against a beautiful autumn sky. Two Northern harriers provided a nice warm up act while we waited for the cranes to come in.
Crane Count - 500
Species Count - 29
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 9/24/2017
Haehnle crane counters observed 385 cranes Sunday evening.
There were 112 Great Egrets.
Don Henise's eBird checklist of 46 species is available at:
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S39375785
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 9/17/2017
Don Henise reports that the crane counts continue to rise at the Sanctuary.
Highlights were eight species of raptors including a couple of Broad-winged Hawk Kettles, one of which was over 70 birds. Also of note were 20+ Great Egrets, 22 Common Nighthawks, and 374 Sandhill Cranes roosting.
His eBird checklist of 49 species is available at: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S39239283
Crane counters: Don Henise, Robyn Henise, and Gary Siegrist
Compiler: Don Henise
Submitted by Steve Jerant
Crane Count-374
Species count-49
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 11/14/2016
We again had more people than cranes with 49 customers counted. The moon put on a show with what looked like a cat eye but the clouds moved in and show was over. Mud Lake Marsh was full of waterfowl.
First Northern Shrike of the season was seen and we had a flyover from a mature Bald Eagle.
Crane counters: Don Henise and Gary Siegrist
Compiler: Gary Siegrist
Submitted by Steve Jerant
Species count-29
Pied-billed Grebe
Trumpeter Swan
Canada Goose
Green-winged Teal
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Ring-necked Duck
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
American Coot
Ring-billed Gull
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Blue Jay
American Crow
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
Northern Shrike
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Rusty Blackbird
Common Grackle
House Finch
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 11/7/2016
Count continues to be very low in the Sanctuary marsh. Actually about as low as you can get as our official count was 0. Fly-bys were a bit under 200, so that number is pretty low as well. Cranes are in the area as nearby locations got numbers above 1000 for the US Fish & Wildlife Services count last week.
Two Northern Harriers worked the marsh pretty hard this evening, but they were not the only ones snacking as we enjoyed pretzels (from Chelsea Bakery), donuts, muffins, and some Halloween candy. Near sunset we had 4 Egrets come in for the evening and a single Great Blue Heron, so there were at least a few long legged birds spending the night.
Winter birds are coming in with American Tree Sparrow, Winter Wren, and Dark-eyed Junco observed on the property tonight.
Lots of ducks and raptors at the Sanctuary this evening. Sunday a pair of Eastern Meadowlarks were spotted as well.
Today and this week is the first week of the US Fish & Wildlife Service annual crane count.
Crane counters: Don Henise, Ross Green, and Gary Siegrist
Compiler: Steve Jerant
Submitted by Steve Jerant
Gary Siegrist took photos of a dewberry leaf and a winter wren that can be seen in the slideshow on the front page.
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 10/24/2016
Visitors outnumbered cranes again this evening with only 4 counted as landing in Mud Lake Marsh. However, we are seeing lots more local activity with 1282 “FlyBy” cranes observed from the overlook. Egrets are still coming in and five raptors were seen.
Crane Count; 4
Crane counters: Robyn Henise, Don Henise, Ross Green, and Gary Siegrist
Compiler: Robyn Henise
Species Count:44
Pied-billed Grebe, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Turkey Vulture, Trumpeter Swan, Canada Goose, Wood Duck, American Black Duck, Northern Pintail, Gadwall, American Widgeon, Ring-necked Duck, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Coot, Sandhill Crane, Killdeer, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, European Starling, Northern Cardinal, American Tree Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Rusty Blackbird, Common Grackle, House Finch, Purple Finch, American Goldfinch
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 10/17/2016
Some fresh, warm apple crisp and hot mulled cider kept us warm for tonight’s crane count. Well, it was 75⁰ out, so I guess that helped, too. Anyway, another beautiful night at Haehnle Sanctuary. The colors were brilliant with the setting sun. The greens are giving way to the browns as our autumn progresses.
Cranes were sparse, both for counted and fly-bys (210). We did get two nice flyovers which delighted our guests gathered at the overlook. Egrets continue to come into the marsh and a Bald Eagle spotted last week was back on the same perch tonight.
Waterfowl activity was great. Lots of movement in and out. We had 11 species of ducks & geese observed.
Crane Count: 7
Species Count: 40
Pied-billed Grebe, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Turkey Vulture, Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Green-winged Teal, American Black Duck, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, American Widgeon, Ring-necked Duck, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Merlin, Sandhill Crane, Killdeer, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Blue Jay, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, European Starling, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, House Finch, Purple Finch
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 10/10/2016
Cranes were on the move tonight with 519 counted as fly-bys. Only 20 cranes were counted on our official tally as l
landing in Mud Lake Marsh. So our 24 visitors outnumbered the cranes for another week, but it was a beautiful night to watch the colors change on the marsh.
The sparrows remain active below the overlook and along the dike trail. Six species were seen, with a Lincoln’s sparrow as the bird of note. Both Cooper’s and Sharp-shinned hawks were in the area as well.
Greater egrets continue to be seen and we had a pileated woodpecker fly over again this week.
Crane counters: Robyn Henise, Don Henise, Ross Green, and Gary Siegrist
Compiler: Steve Jerant
Crane Count-20
Species count-48
Pied-billed Grebe, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Turkey Vulture, Trumpeter Swan, Canada Goose, Wood Duck, American Black Duck, Mallard, American Widgeon, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Sandhill Crane, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Mourning Dove, Chimney Swift, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Blue Jay, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, European Starling, Northern Cardinal, Eastern Towhee, Field Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, House Finch, American Goldfinch.
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 10/3/2016
Crane numbers were very low tonight but we did have several flyovers. No cranes were counted as staying in Mud lake Marsh and we had 177 counted as “fly-bys”-observed by not settling in for an overnight stay.
There were a lot of sparrows in the emergent prairie where invasive buckthorn is being removed. Five species were seen including a Lincoln’s sparrow. The blackbird activity was good as well, with groups coming close to the overlook and well within audible range. Several large groups of starlings were seen doing their amazing flock dance visible from over a mile away.
Crane counters: Robyn Henise, Don Henise, Ross Green, and Gary Siegrist
Compiler: Steve Jerant
Crane Count-0
Species count-40
Pied-billed Grebe, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Turkey Vulture, Canada Goose, Wood Duck, American Black Duck, Mallard, Lesser Scaup, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Coot, Sandhill Crane, Herring Gull, Chimney Swift, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Eastern Phoebe, Tree Swallow, Blue Jay, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Cedar Waxwing, European Starling, Northern Cardinal, Field Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, House Finch, American Goldfinch
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 09/26/2016
On Monday we had a beautiful night at the Phyllis Haehnle Memorial Sanctuary to watch the cranes come in. Traffic was slow but steady and we broke the 100 mark for the season-always an event. The cranes arrived from all directions and we had some coming and going as in previous years with some leaving the marsh and 55 “fly-bys.” Several groups flew directly above the overlook so the dozen visitors we had on the property were able to get a close look. A juvenile was heard in one of the groups.
Other highlight species seen or heard include several Bald Eagles, a flicker that seemed to want a lot of attention, and flyovers of American Kestrel and Pileated Woodpecker.
Crane counters: Robyn Henise, Don Henise, Ross Green, and Gary Siegrist
Compiler: Steve Jerant
Crane Count-151
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 09/18/2016
First off, the crane count at Haehnle moves back to Monday evenings starting next Monday, September 26th.
Today was a great day for bird species at Haehnle but not for Sandhill cranes – we found two cranes in the marsh around 5:30 and by the time we left at 6:30 no other cranes had come to Haehnle.
Butterflies were out most of the afternoon. Here’s what we had: Orange Sulphur, Viceroy, Cabbage White, Clouded Sulphur, Eastern Tailed-blue, American Copper, Common Buckeye, Monarch, Silver-spotted Skipper, Pearl Crescent, Variegated Fritillary, Great Spangled Fritillary and Spicebush Swallowtail.
We also recorded 27 [human] visitors.
Compiler: Robyn Henise
Crane Count-0
Species count- 36
Canada Goose, Wood Duck, American Wigeon, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture,
Bald Eagle (2 adults), Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk,
Broad-winged Hawk (we had a mini kettle of 21 birds – more than they recorded at Erie Metro Hawk watch today – they only had 3), Red-tailed Hawk, Ring-billed Gull, Mourning Dove, Chimney Swift, Downy Woodpecker,
Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, American Kestrel (catching dragonflies), Eastern Wood-Pewee,
Eastern Phoebe, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Red-breasted Nuthatch,White-breasted Nuthatch,
Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, Gray Catbird, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Common Yellowthroat,
Swamp Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird,Common Grackle, American Goldfinch
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 09/11/2016
The Sandhill Cranes have not begun to use Haehnle as an evening roosting spot but several large flocks of cranes were seen flying around. One flock of 17 flew in overhead of observation hill and there were several young birds calling.
We saw several Buckeye Butterflies and a total of 13 Monarchs flew past observation hill.
Counters: Ross Green, Gary Siegrist, Don and Robyn Henise
Compiler: Don Henise
Crane Count-0
Species count- 39
Canada Goose, Trumpeter Swans (2), Wood Duck, Mallard, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret,
Turkey Vultures (50+), Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk,
Red-tailed Hawk, Chimney Swift, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker,
Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, American Kestrel, Great Crested Flycatcher,
Yellow-throated Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, Black-capped Chickadee,
Red-breasted Nuthatch, White-breasted Nuthatch, House Wren, Eastern Bluebird, Gray Catbird,
European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Indigo Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird, American Goldfinch
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 09/04/2016
The fall 2016 Sandhill Crane counting season opened officially this evening at the Haehnle Sanctuary.
It is very early in the season for the cranes to be gathering but the nice weather brought out the crane counters.
A total of 6 cranes were seen at the sanctuary this evening, four of those cranes flew out around 6:00 p.m.
Counters: Gary Siegrist, Don and Robyn Henise
Compiler: Don Henise
Submitted by Don & Robyn Henise
Crane Count-06
Species count- 19
Wood Duck, Mallard, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Turkey Vulture, Northern Harrier, Cooper’s Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk
Ring-billed Gull, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Chimney Swift, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker, Blue Jay, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, Gray Catbird, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Common Yellowthroat
Song Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Indigo Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle American Goldfinch.