Water levels look favorable for a good season of roosting, and the cranes seem more confident coming in than they were last year. The sky was cloudy this afternoon, with only a few patches of blue breaking out. Some sunlight peeked through the openings to cast a bit of gold on the marsh, but overall it was muted. 50 visitors came out to view the cranes coming in and enjoy the mild evening. It was still warm enough for a few mosquitoes, but at dusk we were helped by a bat (probably a big brown) who was feeding and hopefully ate a few dozen.
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Our weekly count continues to increase, albeit slowly. In addition to the 88 cranes landing in the marsh, 14 were fly-bys who sought another venue for the evening. We’re hoping to break 100 next week.
Crane counters: Don Henise and Gary Siegrist
Submitted by Steve Jerant
Crane Count-88
Species count-38
Pied-billed Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Turkey Vulture
Trumpeter Swan
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Harrier
Cooper's Hawk
American Coot
Sandhill Crane
Yellowlegs (species)
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Cedar Waxwing
Tennessee Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Northern Cardinal
Field Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
American Goldfinch