There were 4800 cranes flying out of the refuge after sunrise this morning, with peak numbers occurring at 8:00 or 8:15. Best viewing was along CR 70, NOT at the parking area, but another 1/4 mile west on CR 70, just before you get to the T in the road. County Road 3 would also offer better viewing, but near it's intersection with CR 11. This is this only count we've conducted this year, due to the government shut down. That's a good number of cranes - I'm surprised there are still that many around!
They've been spreading out a lot more this year, because the corn fields near Santiago haven't been harvested yet. This makes it challenging for birders to find them during the day, as you have to drive around a lot more. There are more flocks, with fewer birds, spread out over a larger areas. The best places this year have been the fields north and west of Santiago, and even some fields along Hwy. 95. The do NOT use fields with standing corn. I updated a crane viewing map, and put it on the home page of our website. www.fws.gov/refuge/sherburne/ Betsy Beneke Visitor Services Manager Sherburne, Crane Meadows, Rice Lake NWRs ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
