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- Wader populations decline rapidly
- ABA Regional Symposium in North Dakota
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Michigan’s CraneFest boasts high turnout, family atmosphere
On October 11th and 12th 2008, birders young and old came out to CraneFest XIV, for a chance to see over 1,000 migrating Sandhill Cranes at the Baker Sanctuary in Battle Creek Michigan. Visitors came to the Kiwanis youth area and camped out on chairs and blankets on the hillside to see the majestic Cranes fly in to their marshy resting grounds at sunset. Although visitors on Sunday only got to see the Cranes from afar, Saturday’s crowd got a real treat as the Cranes flew in almost overhead by the hundreds.
Those who went on the guided nature walks around the Sanctuary learned that the Cranes feed in the tall grass of local fields and sometimes the grain fields of local farms during the daytime, but return to the water at night. Throughout the day, visitors could hear the eerie and haunting calls of the juvenile birds from across the marshes.
The family atmosphere was apparent everywhere. From the dozens of vendor booths to the live raptor display, to a small pool full of a variety of turtle and tortoise species from the area, there was something for everyone to enjoy at the Kiwanis youth area.
Visit the official site of the CraneFest:
http://www.cranefest.org/
Dozens of Vendor Booths were set up around the area.
Kids enjoyed the turtle pool.
Families could get up close & personal with various birds of prey.
By sundown the hillside was packed.
Seen from afar, a clean picture of the cranes was hard to get without digiscoping.
Sadly our photographer did not remember to bring his scope adaptor along.
