Michigan is home to the largest of six subspecies of Sandhill Crane, which stand up to 4 feet tall with a 7- foot wingspan. Cranes, one of the last migrating birds to leave Michigan each year and one of the first to return, gather at two Michigan Audubon sanctuaries, Baker Sanctuary in Calhoun County and Haehnle Sanctuary in Jackson County. Both are staging areas where cranes can be viewed each fall as they prepare for their annual migration to Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. After spending the day foraging on left over grain in harvested farm fields, the cranes return to the safety and solitude of the sanctuaries during the few hours preceding dusk. Cranes begin to gather at the sanctuaries beginning in late September with daily numbers reaching their peak after Halloween. The daily crane "fly-in" typically begins slowly around mid-afternoon with the best viewing two hours before sunset. Last year saw record breaking numbers at both sanctuaries, with crane numbers well in the thousands.

Cranes at Bernard Baker Sanctuary

Weekends in October and November the Kiwanis Club of Battle Creek opens the gates on their property in Bellevue so the public will have the opportunity to view Michigan's tallest bird. Michigan Audubon, in cooperation with the Kiwanis Club, will provide the public with opportunities to view hundreds if not thousands of Greater Sandhill Cranes every Saturday and Sunday through the middle of November. Viewing takes place from the Kiwanis Youth Area, adjacent to Michigan Audubon's Baker Sanctuary. Gates will be unlocked and open to the public from 4-7 PM weekends only, beginning October 19 and ending November 10.

The Battle Creek Kiwanis Youth Area is located northwest of the intersection of I-94 and I-69, at 22300 15 Mile Rd. only minutes south of Bellevue. The Kiwanis Youth Area overlooks the 200-acre Big Marsh Lake in Baker Sanctuary, which provides a safe refuge for Greater Sandhill Cranes.

Baker Sanctuary encompasses more than 900 acres of lake, marsh, bog, meadows and woodlands. The Meadow and Marshland Trail is 2.4 miles north of the blinker at Turkeyville (15-1/2 Mile and N Drive North). The sanctuary is open to the public daily from dawn to dusk.

Cranes at Phyllis Haehnle Memorial Sanctuary

Crane viewing is available at the 1,009-acre Phyllis Haehnle Memorial Sanctuary located northeast of Jackson. Cranes roost in Mud Lake Marsh located in the sanctuary. While the public can visit the sanctuary any day to watch the cranes, volunteers from the Jackson Audubon Society (JAS) will be on hand weekends from 4 PM until dusk beginning in October and running through mid-November. Volunteers will have binoculars and scopes available to assist you in seeing the birds.

On Saturday, October 19 members of the JAS will host their annual festival, Cranes, Colors and Cabernet, a free event that will provide unique views of the sanctuary during the fall color change, Michigan's tallest bird and of course a stop at the Sandhill Crane Vineyards. The event will run from 12:00 (noon) until dusk (approximately 6:45 PM). The event includes one-hour guided tours to the north side of Mud Lake Marsh which will be given at 12 and 2 PM. At 4:30 PM Jackson Audubon members will lead car pool tours around Jackson County to see the cranes up close as they feed in the surrounding farm fields. The car pool will return to Haehnle in time to see the cranes return to Mud Lake Marsh to roost for the evening.

Crane Viewing Haehnle Sanctuary is located on Seymour Rd in Jackson County. Additional information including maps, dates, times, etc. can be found at Michigan Audubon's website, www.michiganaudubon.org.

Michigan Audubon Society is a 501(C)3 nonprofit charitable trust. Any publicity provided qualifies as a Public Service Announcement.