Most of Mud Lake Marsh was iced over today so we saw little crane activity.  The cranes that did come in settled on the eastern portion of the marsh.  While only 95 cranes were counted, we still managed to have three ‘fly overs” which is always a treat.

The river otters were active in water closest to the overlook. For over an hour we were able to see two individuals moving in and out of an ice hole and walking on the ice.  With our scopes we could watch them eat the fish that they caught. 

Unless we see significant crane activity in the area and we lose our ice in the coming week, this will likely be the last crane count posting for the year.  Haehnle Sanctuary is open all year and there are lots of birding opportunities throughout the winter.  The nature trails are open for snowshoeing, cross country skiing, and of course, walking.  The parking lot will be plowed, so parking will be available even with an accumulation of snow.

You can view past postings and historical crane counting data at http://www.haehnlesanctuary.org/cranecount.html.

Crane counters, above:   Don Henise, Gary Siegrist, Robyn Henise, and Ross Green, 

Compiler:  Steve Jerant
Submitted by Steve Jerant

Crane Count-95

Species count- 19

Mute Swan

Canada Goose

American Black Duck

Mallard

Hooded Merganser

Northern Harrier

Red-tailed Hawk

Sandhill Crane

Mourning Dove

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Blue Jay

Black-capped Chickadee

White-breasted Nuthatch

American Robin

Cedar Waxwing

European starling

American Tree Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

American Goldfinch