Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 10/19/2026 by Don Henise

Sandhill Cranes did out number visitors this past Monday evening. We ended with 119 cranes staying to roost in Mud Lake Marsh. A marked increase over the past few weeks, but still a bit lower that average for this time in October. Most of those cranes came in late as it was getting dark.

Haehnle_Mud Lake Marsh(Don Henise)

Earlier in the evening we had a beautiful male Northern Harrier flying high over the marsh.

Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius)(Don Henise)

A few Rusty Blackbirds were detected with the flocks of red-wings and grackles. At dusk while we were busy trying to follow and count the cranes as the light was fading, a Short-eared Owl was heard giving its distinctive barking call from the grassland to our left. A total of 37 bird species were observed during the count. See the eBird checklist linked below.

119 Sandhill Cranes roosting in Mud Lake Marsh

62 F, Calm, Clear

Counters Ross Green, Gary Siegrist, Don Henise

Compiled by: Don Henise

Crane Count checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S403886935