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HAEHNLE SANCTUARY EVENTS AND NEWS
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VIEW OUR FALL 2007 PRESS RELEASE
EVENTS
Saturday, September 8, 2007 (9:00 am)
Haehnle Sanctuary Fall Workbee- Meet at Haehnle Sanctuary at the Seymour
Road parking lot. Leader: Ron Hoffman (517-769-6891).
Crane Watch and Tour
Saturday October 20, 2007 and Sunday October 21, 2007
4:00 PM both days
Again this fall, Sandhill Cranes will be gathering by the thousands at the
Haehnle Sanctuary. This is becoming a major autumn birding attraction in
Michigan. We expect to see several thousand cranes using Haehnle in late
October. Cranes are attracted to the undisturbed, shallow water of the Mud
Lake marsh to roost for the night. Shortly after sunrise, they fly to
surrounding fields to feed, loaf there during the day and then return to
Haehnle in late afternoon.
Last year so many people attended the tour that we were overwhelmed. So, two trips are scheduled for this year. The public and Audubon members are invited to meet at 4:00 PM at the Seymour Road parking lot. After a brief discussion of crane biology, we will drive to see cranes feeding in nearby fields and observe their social behavior. Then we will return to the hill overlooking the sanctuary and watch flocks of cranes flying back to the marsh to roost for the night.
Eastern Greater Sandhill Crane Survey
Monday, October 29, 2007.
Volunteer crane counters are needed for the October 29 fall survey of
Sandhill Cranes. This is a coordinated fall survey at crane staging areas in
eastern North America. The task in Jackson County and surrounding areas is
becoming harder because cranes are roosting in numerous locations besides
Haehnle.
Last year more than 12,700 cranes were counted at 48 locations in Michigan. Of that number, 553 were found at Haehnle and 2,337 at 15 other locations in Jackson County. Earlier in October of 2006 over 1,500 cranes were using Haehnle, but heavy rains flooded their main roosting area so they temporality moved to nearby flooded pastureland.
During the survey, information is collected on locality, name or owner of the property, time beginning count, time ending count, number of cranes (of course), weather conditions, and habitat type. I have forms available for recording results. It is best if the counts are done as cranes enter night roosts (late afternoon until dusk), but that may not be possible in all cases. We want to avoid counting the same cranes twice so we concentrate on cranes flying either to or from night roosts.
Some of you have been participating for many years and for others this will be a first. This annual count has been going on since 1979 and is the single best estimate of the size and trend of the eastern population of Greater Sandhill Cranes.
Let me know if you can help,
Ron Hoffman, 517-769-6891 or email
hoffmanrj@dmci.net
Saturday, March 29, 2008, 9:00 a.m.
Haehnle Sanctuary Spring Workbee.
Meet Haehnle Sanctuary at the Seymour
Roar Parking Lot. Leader: Ron Hoffman (517-769-6891).
NEWS
Lonesome Whooping Crane Still Looking For a Friend! The travels of Whooping Crane 05-16 were described in the last issue of Bird Tracks. Picking up where that account left off, he continued to roost at the Haehnle Sanctuary until mid-November. He was last seen there on November 19 with about 3,885 Sandhill Cranes. Shortly afterwards ice covered all of the open water at Haehnle so the cranes moved to other nearby roosting sites that remained open.
Attempts to locate 05-16 were unsuccessful after the 19th so we assumed he had gone south. However, he was sighted December 5 flying southwesterly over Jackson with a group of sandhills. He was next seen December 12 in flight over Columbia Co., Florida and later in the afternoon landed at Paynes Prairie Preserve, Alachua Co. Two days later he moved to Salt Sick Lake, Marion Co. From then until the last report ending on January 26, 2008 he remained with a wintering group of sandhills and no whoopers at Lindsey Lake, Marion Co.
The wintering population of migratory Whooping Cranes is 59. Of those 31 are males and 28 are females, 22 are in Florida, 18 are in Tennessee, and the rest are scattered in 4 other states.
It won’t be much longer before Sandhill Cranes will be returning to southern Michigan. We look forward to learning if 05-16 returns with them. Whooping Cranes don’t reach sexual maturity until they are 3-5 years old so there is still hope he will find a girlfriend in Florida, but the prospects do not look good. Does anyone know of an eligible female Whooping Crane that is interested in meeting a wanderlust bachelor?
Haehnle News Thanks to Those Who Care We wish to thank for following people for their donations to the Haehnle Sanctuary: Anonymous 2 people Thomas & Maureen Allenson Mary Dunn Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Sgriccia Mary Julia Mitchell Glenn B. Latinen Roberta Haynes in memory of Mildred Barber Mr. & Mrs. Marty Hoover Virgina & Russell Smith Rebecca Mehall Mary Mitchell James Eder Donna & Charles LeValley.
Sandhill Crane Vineyards has generously donated $0.50 for every bottle of Blushing Crane wine that was sold in 2007. We thank them for their support during 2007, but also for their donations in previous years.
Just from September – December, volunteers spent over 325 hours at Haehnle. That is equivalent to eight 40-hour weeks! What an astounding commitment.
Spring Workbee Saturday, March 29 Starting at 9:00 a.m. We can use all the help we can get at this year’s spring workbee. Although a number of projects have been completed by volunteers during the past several months, there still is much unfinished work. The list includes: • Paint boards in the new kiosk • Cut brush invading the grassland • Erect a Kestrel nest box