We have received many reports and even witnessed them ourselves--the Sandhill Cranes are returning! Cranes are early migrants arriving as early as January, depending on the weather conditions and food supply. They cover 200-300 miles a day during migration at 25-30 MPH.

We talk a lot about the fall migration and staging habits of Sandhill Cranes. You may be wondering, though, "What happens when the cranes return in the spring? Where do they go? What do they do?"

For some cranes Michigan is just a resting point for a more northern breeding ground, some traveling as far north as Alaska and portion's of Canada's Arctic Circle.

For other cranes, Michigan will be their breeding ground and they will stay, find a mate if they do not already have one and start scoping out a good nesting site. They will also spend countless hours perfecting their mating call and dance. You can observe cranes rolling around in the dirt to create a copper hue which will allow the cranes to blend in with their new surroundings.

While you can still see a group of 20-40 cranes in a field this spring, seeing larger groups in the hundreds is unlikely. Often when you see a large group of cranes during the spring months they are juveniles and/or unmated adults. Spring is a more solitary time for cranes when they focus on their mate and start gearing up to raise their colt(s).

The migration map was taken from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's site, eBird. We encourage you to help us collect more information on the Sandhill Crane's migration by uploading your sighting to eBird.org. You can also track the crane's return by choosing the "explore data" tab on the eBird website.

Get detailed information about the Sandhill Crane migration in Issue 2 of the Michigan Birds and Natural History Journal. This issue will include the results from the annual Michigan Sandhill Crane Survey, reported by Jackson Audubon volunteer, Ron Hoffman. You can subscribe by visit www.michiganaudubon.org and selecting the publications tab.

As thousands of cranes start their way back to their summer breeding grounds make sure they have a healthy habitat to call home. A donation to Michigan Audubon provides support to our stewards who in- turn create a healthy, viable habitat with an abundance of food, water and shelter for the cranes.

If you are interested in seeing Sandhill Cranes during their spring migration check eBird.org for the most recent sighting in your area.

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