The cranes are there, AND all over up here these days. You can see them in many fields and marshes all over the area, not just on the WMA. They nest mostly (as far as I know and can hear) in the southern part of the WMA, and to the west of our road, which is a dead end. The "square that is made up of Lexington, Hwy 14, Lake Drive, and Hwy 18 must hold many nesters, as there are only a few roads that penetrate very far into the wiregrass marsh. They may nest at Lamprey Pass WMA as well, as I commonly see a few in fields around there, along Hwy 97. We hear them many days from March to November.
To Aldo Leopold, it was the geese that made the spring, but for me, it's the first cry of the cranes overhead or when we hear them in the distance and know they are over at Carlos, doing their dancing... They spend a fair amount of time in our marshes or flying around overhead. For a few weeks all is quiet while their young are small, but then they begin to call to each other again. Somewhere I heard or read that their call can be heard for over a mile, and I believe it! It is VERY loud when they are just a few yards away in our marsh! At Carlos, the easiest place to see them is not on the south side of Hwy 18, but just to the WNW of or around Pool 4, where they did some prescribed burning a few years ago. At least, that is where I recently saw 20-30, feeding in the wet marsh there. That's the long answer... Holly Peirson Columbus, Anoka Co. > Date: Fri, 2 Jul 2010 22:51:02 -0500 > From: tapac...@q.com > Subject: [mou-net] RFI: Carlos Avery cranes > To: MOU-NET@LISTS.UMN.EDU > > I'd appreciate knowing if anyone has seen Sandhill Cranes in Carlos Avery > WMA this summer and, if so, where in the park? I've only rarely seen them > there other than flying over, which is odd with a bird 4' tall. > > > > Thanks, > > Steve > > > > Stephen Greenfield > > Minneapolis > > tapac...@q.com > > > > > > > ---- > Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net > Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
