This was a very interesting Crane Count. I have been volunteering on this day for the last six years and I have never sat in the snow during this count, but today, I did! At times there was even white-out conditions. It was snowing from 5:00AM to 7:00AM. At least I got a half an hour of "nice" weather.
Because of the weather, I only heard one crane at about 7:03AM. I did not actually get to see him but he was very close. I was told by a fellow Crane Counter that there was one standing in my location when he drove by, about 10 minutes after I left my sight.
But I did get to see a few birds:
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| Yellow Rumped Warbler |
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| Blue Bird |
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| Yellow Rumped Warbler |
Overall, it was a great morning. The Crane Count is used to monitor the general population trend of sandhill cranes in the Upper Midwest, as well as promoting awareness of cranes and wetland conservation. In 2010, volunteers counters tallied 27 sandhill cranes and four birds were paired. All observations in Bremer County are done around Sweet Marsh, along the Plum Creek and Wapsipinicon River.
I encourage you to volunteer with your local county conservation board.
sources: Bremer County Conservation Board
