We had a mild night for our last count of the season.  The open water in Mud Lake Marsh was partially frozen, but 59 cranes made it their home for the evening.  We observed 122 cranes from the overlook and Bill Wells counted 552 flyovers from the Wooster Rd. parking lot by the Portage River bridge parking lot.

Eagle Lake also had some open water where nearly 20 Hooded Mergansers were seen.  Only 1 of the Belted Kingfishes we saw Tuesday remained. He was accompanied by 2 muskrats working the ice/water boundary.

As we left the overlook for our final count a few coyotes barked some goodbyes to us from the north.  Nice ending to the season.

Total crane count was 59.

Crane counters:   Ross Green, Bill Wells, & Steve Jerant
Compiler:  Steve Jerant
Submitted by Steve Jerant

Species count:  11

View eBird checklist at https://ebird.org/checklist/S123521934

I did my first official tour of the Sanctuary as the new manager for seven JAS members.  The weather was mild and the sun did come out in the 10 o'clock hour for about 10 minutes.  Although we had over 200 cranes come in last night, I only saw 2 and that was before the group arrived at 9.

We toured the overlook area then walked the prairie path into the woods to Eagle Lake. We had some ducks and a surprising pair of Belted Kingfishers working the lake.

The forest walk took us to the Unit #2 prairie where a bunch of Eastern Bluebirds were moving around noisily.   Gary Siegrist told the legend of Bogus Lake in the fen area that has recently been cleared of Glossy Buckthorn.

John spotted a Ring Necked Pheasant below the apple trees, so that made for a nice finish.

Some of the group went to lunch at Clear Lake Grill on Clear Lake Rd.

eBird Checklist - 29 Nov 2022 - Haehnle Sanctuary - 18 species

NOTE:  The next Tuesday tour is a new venue on the Lakelands Trail in the Hawkins/Dalton Rds. area.  I've rescheduled the 13 December tour at the Hoffman Trail to 21 February. 

It was a bit warmer than last week and the ice in the marsh has receded.  Six species of waterfowl were observed. A pair of Trumpeter Swans came over from Eagle Lake with their trumpets blaring and a nice orange sheen from the setting sun.   The cranes came in from the east and west and we had a few overflights above the observation hill.

(Steve Jerant)

Woodpeckers and raptors filled much of the remaining species list.

I’m not sure if this will be our last count of the year. We’ll see how the weather and the flocks are this weekend.

Total crane count was 241, with about 2,000 more to the west and north not counted.

Crane counters:  Gary Siegrist & Steve Jerant
Compiler:  Steve Jerant
Submitted by Steve Jerant

Species count:  17

View eBird checklist at https://ebird.org/checklist/S123182374

It wasn’t looking good tonight as we looked out on the snow covered marsh with the open water about 80% frozen.

But then the cranes started to trickle in.  Three pioneers held out alone on the ice for what seemed like forever.  The first several groups looked a bit undecided, but they continued to circle and land on the ice with the others. 

There were odd flight patterns that I’ve never seen before. Cranes came in from the west, then just as they approached Eagle lake they swung east, and then came in from the east.  Likely they were looking for another spot to land.  We also had lots of activity and landing near Eagle Lake and Ross reported a lot of ducks there as well.

Total crane count was 1600, with many more to the west and north not counted.

Crane counters:  Ross Green, Don Henise, Steve Jerant
Compiler:  Steve Jerant
Submitted by Steve Jerant

Species count:  18

View Haehnle eBird checklist at https://ebird.org/checklist/S122807479

Nine of us went on a morning tour of the Dahlem Center today.  There was light snow and just a bit of wind.  It was quiet and not a lot of bird activity but it's always a treat to walk the property, especially through the conifers in the winter.  

Some of the group followed the outing with a lunch at Knights.

(Steve Jerant)

eBird Checklist

Another great week of crane activity at the Sanctuary.  The count team, and we once again need a team to count them all, tallied 3,331 cranes staying in Mud Lake Marsh tonight.  And they estimated an additional 2,000-3,000 settling in locations north of the property.  Most of the traffic is still coming from the west.  I counted over 2K cranes from the Dalton/Hawkins Rds. area last night which were heading in the direction of Haehnle Sanctuary.

(Steve Jerant)

We had several nice overflights above the observation area and 3 small murmuration of blackbirds way out over the marsh.

Two Mute Swan, likely displaced from the drained lake to our south, joined the 13 other species of varied waterbirds on our list this afternoon.  And Tundra Swans were heard above, but not seen.

(Steve Jerant)

The weather is starting to chill, but it was not too windy, so we stayed comfortable. 

Greeters will continue to staff the overlook area on Saturdays and Sundays until the end of November. 

(Steve Jerant)

Crane counters:  Ross Green, Don Henise, Robyn Henise
Compiler:  Don Henise
Submitted by Steve Jerant

Species count:  39

View Don’s eBird checklist at eBird Checklist - 14 Nov 2022 - Haehnle Sanctuary - 39 species

We had a spectacular moon rise as the sun was setting.

(Don Henise)

Crane Count: 3,461 (2,283 Stayed in Mud Lake Marsh)

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  500

Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)  4

Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator)  2

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)  3

Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)  3

Gadwall (Mareca strepera)  3

American Wigeon (Mareca americana)  15

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  400

American Black Duck (Anas rubripes)  8

Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)  1

Green-winged Teal (American) (Anas crecca carolinensis)  30

Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris)  80

    Eagle Lake

Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus)  24

    Eagle Lake

Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)  4

    Eagle Lake

American Coot (Fulica americana)  50

Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis)  3461

    2283 cranes roosting in Mud Lake Marsh, 1178 flybys

Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  1

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  7

Great Egret (Ardea alba)  1

Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)  2

Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius)  1

Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus)  1

Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)  2

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)  6

    Individually counted - 4 adults,  1 imm 1st yr, 1 near adult 4th year with dark terminal band on white tail

Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)  1

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)  4

Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)  2

Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)  1

Hairy Woodpecker (Dryobates villosus)  1

Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)  1

Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) (Colaptes auratus auratus/luteus)  1

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  2

American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)  5

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  2

Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris)  3

White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)  1

Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis)  3

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  6

Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)  4

Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus)  1

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  10

Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) (Junco hyemalis hyemalis/carolinensis)  1

White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)  1

Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  2

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  2000

    Estimate

Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)  50

Crane counters:  Ross Green, Gary Siegrist, Don Henise, Robyn Henise 
Compiler:  Don Henise
Submitted by Steve Jerant

Species count:  50

View Don’s eBird checklist at https://ebird.org/checklist/S122052028

Eight members of JAS turned out this morning to see what wildfowl was coming through the Watkins Lake State Park.  This park is in Jackson and Washtenaw counties, the dividing line aligns roughly with Arnold Road. This road bisects the lake, so it's a great viewing platform for the water birds.

(Steve Jerant)

While the weather was a bit dreary, we were greeted by the local Northern Mockingbird that hangs out near the parking lot and road out to the west of the park.  As usual, we had lots of Canada Goose (3,000), Ring-neck Duck (2,000), and Ruddy Duck (150).  In total there were 18 species of waterfowl, gull and waders were observed.  A huge (2000) raft of Canada Goose came over. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYQkLhaS9pw ) 

We noticed a school of fish coming up to the surface of the water to take a gulp of air.

(Lynn Eckerle)

This site has some NATIVE American Bittersweet (Celastrus scandens)on the roadside.  The berries are in clumps, generally at the terminus of the stem.

(Lynn Eckerle)

(Lynn Eckerle)

At the end of the walk down the road a Bald Eagle was perched and caught the sun perfectly for a naked eye, binocular, and scope view.

(Lynn Eckerle)

See the eBird list at https://ebird.org/checklist/S121702014

Tonight, we had three teams counting at Haehnle and locations north of the sanctuary for the annual USFWS Fall Sandhill Crane Survey.  Haehnle volunteers participate each year to contribute to this nationwide crane count managed by the US Fish & Wildlife Service.  Data from this survey help wildlife managers make sound decisions about cranes based on population estimates.

Gary Siegrist and Don & Robyn Henise worked Haehnle per the usual Monday schedule. The other two teams of Ron Hoffman & Ross Green and Lathe Claflin &  Steve Jerant worked two portions of a neighboring property north of the Sanctuary.  No counts were done in the Hawkins & Dalton Rds. area as the crane counts these past weeks have been low. 

Gary and the Henise’s reported 1,297 cranes observed, of which 779 remained in the marsh for the evening.  Lathe & I counted 1,755 total with 1714 staying on the property. Ron & Ross counted…0.  This was we thought odd as they were in an area we saw many cranes moving towards from our station, but alas, they did not have any land for the evening.

Crane counters:  Ross Green, Gary Siegrist, Don Henise, Robyn Henise, Lathe Claflin, & Steve Jerant
Compiler:  Steve Jerant & Don Henise
Submitted by Steve Jerant

Crane Count: 1,297 (779 Stayed in Mud Lake Marsh)

Species count:  39

View Don’s eBird checklist at https://ebird.org/checklist/S121653630

We had great weather for our biggest count of the season.  The temp was in the 70’s with a light breeze.  A bit more sun to bring out the colors would have made it perfection.  Cranes came in from all directions tonight, and we had about half a dozen flights over the observation area.  In addition to the crane overflights, we had a pair of Mute Swans put on a bit of a show flying over us twice.  The second time reminding us that even though they are called mute, it’s not because their wings are silent.

A single, Big Brown bat came early and stayed late tonight.  It flew back and forth over the grassland to the west of us.  I really think it was seriously checking out our newly installed bat house…

360 cranes were observed with 294 of them staying overnight.  And only about half of those 66 were long distance observations, so fewer cranes are coming in and then leaving.  Conditions are looking very good for high numbers this year.

We’ve released an updated Crane hotspot map, available HERE.

Next week, some of use will be doing the annual USFWS counts around Jackson County so I’ll try to get some of those numbers on next week's report. 

(Steve Jerant)

Crane counters:  Ross Green, Gary Siegrist, Don Henise, Robyn Henise, & Steve Jerant
Compiler:  Steve Jerant
Submitted by Steve Jerant

Crane Count: 360 (294 Stayed in Mud Lake Marsh)

Species count:  26

Species       Count

Species	Count
Canada Goose	21
Mute Swan	4
Trumpeter Swan	2
Wood Duck	25
American Wigeon	3
Mallard	40
American Black Duck	15
American Coot	10
Sandhill Crane	360
Killdeer	1
Great Blue Heron	1
Northern Harrier	4
Bald Eagle	1
Red-bellied Woodpecker	1
Downy Woodpecker	1
Hairy Woodpecker	1
Blue Jay	10
Tufted Titmouse	1
Carolina Wren	1
European Starling	3
Eastern Bluebird	3
American Robin	50
Cedar Waxwing	30
White-throated Sparrow	1
Red-winged Blackbird	2000
Rusty Blackbird	1

View eBird checklist