weather or not we count?

In case you've been wondering "weather" or not you count, the answer is Yes!, you definitely count. We will always count. Whether weather is warm and sunny, or not, the Annual Midwest Crane Count will procede. If you've been doing this awhile you know conditions on count day aren't always ideal.

This year, with the early count, a week earlier than other years due to Easter, we will be dealing with, presumably, chillier temps, in addition to a slightly later sunrise. The Count starts at 5:30, but the big star to the east doesn't show itself for nearly another hour: 6:22 on count day, April 8th.

The long range count day forecast is for 48 degrees with possible rain and a mild breeze. Truthfully, that's not too bad. Winter only just ended. We do need an excuse to get outdoors. Nice out isn't the first requirement just yet.
 

42 years of counting cranes.

From Int'l Crane Foundation:

The 1976 Columbia County Crane Survey
In 1976, the Crane Count began as a survey in Columbia County, Wisconsin in search of Sandhill Cranes to identify the locations the cranes utilized, study their ecology, and later determine a better estimate of their population in the county. The initial survey involved less than two hundred volunteers.

The Annual Midwest Sandhill Crane CountIn 1994, Crane Count expanded from a statewide survey to the upper Midwest, involving Minnesota and Michigan. Illinois followed in 1995, and Iowa in 1996. As the crane population steadily expands into neighboring states, Crane Count still allows the International Crane Foundation to monitor the abundance, distribution, and dispersal of the eastern population of Sandhill Cranes. In 2000, participants counted a record total of over 13,500 Sandhill Cranes spread throughout portions of the five states. Crane Count continues to evolve with more than 100 counties participating each year. Currently, more than 2,500 volunteer counters participate each year.

The Annual Midwest Crane CountIn 2005, due to promising efforts by the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership reintroducing Whooping Cranes into Wisconsin, we renamed the Crane Count to include the endangered Whooping Cranes that now grace our Midwestern landscape.

Happy Spring!

    First day of spring is finally arriving tomorrow. Even though we had a comparitively mild, rather snowless winter, that late-season snowfall a week ago had to cause problems for the spring migration already underway. Thankfully, snow is mostly melted, but between the chill still in the air and moving the Annual Crane Count up a week to accommodate Easter weekend, it's a fair guess we won't see weather as gorgeous as last year's count.

    Last year we had 33 counters at 23 Waukesha County sites count an amazing total of 225 cranes! Waukesha is chock full of crane habitat: corn fields, lakes, streams and marshes. If you'd like to join us this year, we'd love to have you. There's 52 "official" sites in Waukesha, and most are still available. 

    You don't have to be a birder to be a crane counter. Being tallest, and probably loudest, bird in North America, cranes are also the easiest to count. 

    Crane counters aren't loners! We love to get together after the count at Deb's Diner on Main Street in Dousman to compare notes, stories and photos. Reconnecting in spring of each year is something we all look forward to after the count.