Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 09/16/2024
By Don Henise

We began the 2024 fall season of weekly Sandhill Crane counts on Monday evening, September 16th. Mud Lake Marsh in the Haehnle Sanctuary is a traditional roost and staging area for these cranes in the fall of each year. Sandhill Cranes prefer to roost in shallow water overnight. In the last hour or so, before sunset, they will fly from their daytime feeding locations into a roost sight. Members of Jackson Audubon Society have been monitoring the number of cranes roosting at the sanctuary on a weekly basis each fall for many years. The numbers of cranes using the sanctuary for night roosting starts relatively slow in September and then builds as cranes arrive from their nesting locations in the far north. The numbers typically peak in late October or early November. The weekly crane counts will continue until Mud Lake freezes and the birds are no longer using it for a roosting location.

(Don Henise)

Monday evening at Haehnle Sanctuary was very pleasant after a very warm mid-September day. A walk through the prairie before the count found a few late season butterflies like Eastern Tailed-Blues, American Coppers and Common Buckeyes. At least one Monarch flew past while we were conducting the evening crane count.

(Don Henise)

A total of 31 bird species were seen by the crane counters through the afternoon and evening. As expected for mid-September, crane numbers were low with only 13 remaining in the marsh to roost. Many others were seen flying by the sanctuary without landing. As the sun went down, the moon came up giving us a look that was a precursor to Tuesday night’s super harvest moon. The mosquitoes also came out at dusk and drove us from the lookout hill

Total Cranes Roosting: 13

Counters: Don Henise, Ross Green, Gary Siegrist, Steve Jerant

Compiled by: Don Henise

Complete eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S195524747