Welcome to the 2025 season of CCCC’s live-streaming Crane Nest Camera:
See below for the current live-stream.
Currently, we are observing cranes in the vicinity, including a pair that we believe to be Eric and Ariel based on their choice of territory. On April 14 at 4 pm, a crane pair was observed copulating, and we are watching closely for signs of nesting. Later in the evening, the camera crew located a pair of cranes roosting near Eric and Ariel’s former nest site.
Stay tuned, and leave your questions and comments in the blog at the bottom of this page, reach out to us on social media, or email info@coloradocranes.org.
View our Nest Camera Highlights page. Visit our YouTube channel “Colorado Cranes” for more footage from the season and to subscribe for updates.
Learn more about Sandhill Crane nesting by checking out: Nesting FAQs
Watch the 2021 webinar: Everything You Want to Know About Greater Sandhill Crane Nesting
Warning: This is a wild Sandhill Crane nest and anything can happen. While we hope the nest is successful and both eggs hatch, many things can happen to prevent this, including the eggs being infertile, predation of the eggs, chicks or adults, and natural disasters.
Disclaimer: We are livestreaming a wild bird nest and may experience technical problems. We cannot control problems related to mother nature, disrupted signals, etc. If you can’t play the video, try refreshing the webpage.
Join the conversation! Leave a comment below >
It’s really nice to see the cranes again. Thanks for running the camera.
I had a pair of cranes fly over my house on Friday, 04/11 and I saw a pair that looked like they were about to land near Rita Valentine Park on Monday, 04/14.
David, we are fortunate to have such a fabulous camera crew! So glad you are sighting cranes out there, thanks for sharing your report.
welcome back cranes!
Dear Crane Nest Cam viewers,
Here we go, the cranes are right on time and the wetland is teaming with life! Late in the evening on April 14, our crew found a crane pair roosted very near Eric and Ariel’s previous nest site. They were visible during the sunrise until they left the wetland to forage just before 7 am. You can view them on the stream titled. “Crane Nest Cam 2025-04-14C on CCCC’s YouTube channel. We were able to view a couple of pairs of cranes foraging this morning.
Today has been a wildlife bonanza! On the current stream, “Crane Nest Cam 2025-04-15A”, you can view playful marmots on the berm by the wetland from 10:51 – 11:36 am, and then a beautiful Great blue heron fishing in the wetland from 13:30:20 to about 13:53. (Time stamps on the videos are in the lower right hand corner if you’d like to follow along). Please join this conversation throughout the season with your comments and questions. Happy viewing!
At 6:28 am this morning (4/16) the crane pair on camera copulated. Nesting should happen soon, hopefully within range of the camera.
The next camera is such a terrific thing to have, so that anyone who wants to, can pop in and check out how things are going. We can view these beautiful birds without intruding on their privacy. Thank you for setting this up! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thanks so much, Karen. We couldn’t agree more and are happy to be able to share it!
I meant to say the “nest” camera…🙂
Its wonderful to be back with the Cranes! Thank you to all!
The Boulder County Live Osprey camera showed the female laid her first egg at 6:32 this morning. So birds are busy starting their families.
That is great to hear, Joey. We also just received a report of a local crane pair in West Routt County that have nested and delivered a beautiful egg this morning (the pair, of course, was observed from an appropriate distance).
Is there a way to see morning events on the camera when I don’t get tuned in until noon? I tried today around noon but the morning is already erased.
Yes, absolutely! We have to reset the live stream every 12 hours to be able to archive the footage. We typically do this around 9 am and 9pm. You can view the previous streams by visiting our YouTube Channel “Colorado Cranes” (linked at the top of the page). The stream with this morning’s footage is titled “Crane Nest Cam 2025-04-15B”.
Anytime you are looking for the previous stream, visit our YouTube channel and you’ll see a menu at the top that says Home, Videos, Live, Playlist, and Posts. If you click “Live”, you are able to see previous live streams sorted by Latest, Popular, and Oldest. In the “Latest” tab, the current live stream will be listed and the most recent one is listed after that. Let us know if that is helpful.
We have had some exciting action on the nest camera today. At least two pairs of cranes are hanging out in the area. The first pair, Rocky and Adrian (we think) engaged in nest- buiding behaviors between 13:22 and 13:57 today. They chose a location very close to where they nested last year. The cattails in that area are quite high this year, so it was difficult to see them except when they stuck up their heads above the cattails. The second pair, Eric and Aerial (we think) have been roosting at night just beyond the culvert near where they nested last year and have been feeding during the day in adjacent fields. From 14:32 to 14:47 today, both pairs were seen on camera “fighting” over the territory. We were able to see some exciting territorial displays between the two pairs- the “ruffle threat” in which one crane shakes her tail feathers at the other pair; and the “crouch threat” in which the crane lowers briefly to a sitting position, sleeks the neck feathers, and partially spreads drooping wings as they touch the ground.This is a rare high intensity aggressive display, usually by a female. We also saw and heard multiple unison calling between the two pairs.
We’re not going to see much of anything tonight! I was hoping the camera could find both Eric/Ariel and Rocky and Adrien roosting but with this weather coming in that ain’t gonna happen. Poor birds! We may see some white blobs when it lets up.
Around 10:35 this morning (Sat. 4/19), a pair of cranes (Rocky & Adrian? Eric and Aeriel?) showed up in one of our Crops For Cranes fields, near the wetland where the nest camera cranes have placed their nest for the last 4 years. The pair foraged for a good 10 minutes in the field, which had recently been planted in wheat. Through their Crops for Cranes program, CCCC works with willing landowners to grow crops for the benefit of cranes. In the fall, cranes rely on waste grain crops to fuel their migration south. In the spring, the cranes take advantage of the grain seeds to prepare for nesting and egg laying.
Shortly after filling their bellies in the Crops for Cranes field, the crane pair meandered to a nearby field where they copulated around 11:12, then unison called around 11:15. Nesting should happen soon (hopefully)!
Starting at 11:53 a.m. today (4/19) and for the next hour, two pairs of cranes engaged in a territorial dispute in the field north of the wetlands. Cranes are VERY territorial when they are getting ready to nest. On camera, we saw many threat displays between the two pairs, lots of unison calling, and much stalking back and forth. After an hour, the two pairs finally went their separate ways. One or both pairs should start nesting nearby shortly.
This camera is amazing! I love being able to watch the cranes and other wildlife “live” on my phone! Catching the male and female calls was so cool to hear!! Thank you Cranes and Craniacs!
The cranes continue to move around their territory. Yesterday (4/19), the weather was blustery, and the cranes remained fairly elusive. This morning, they put on a lovely dance display around 8 a.m. Will today be the day they start nesting?
Last night (4/21), around 5:15 pm, only one crane was seen foraging in the recently planted wheat field. Until now, both cranes have always been together. We immediately suspected that the other crane must be on a nest. With our camera, we tried to follow the crane in the wheat field when it left, but we lost it. It’s amazing how a bird as big as a crane can be so elusive at times! The cranes were not roosting in their usual place behind the culvert last night, which again makes us think that this pair has started nesting somewhere in the area. We will continue to look for the nest and keep you up to date on what we are finding.
I have not been able to see a crane respectively the cranes this morning but I truly enjoy the sounds of nature waking up!
Today between 10:33am and 10:34am, we saw a nest switch between two cranes. It’s in an area that is well protected and has a lot of cattails, which is good for the cranes, but can make it difficult for us to watch on the camera. We will continue to monitor the nest, but we will also look for other nests.
Yesterday (4/22), the pair of cranes that started to nest were visible on camera primarily when changing places on the nest. They have selected an area with very tall cattails— good for their protection, but not so good for our viewing. This morning (4/23), we caught a glimpse of the nesting crane around 7:19-7:20. Last night, another pair of cranes was seen roosting at the culvert. We will keep searching periodically to see if that second pair will nest within range of the camera. Meanwhile, the camera will focus mainly on the first pair that has begun the nesting process.
From 7:01-7:06 am this morning (4/23) the nesting cranes quietly exchanged places on the nest.
The crane pair on camera seems to be settling down into a routine. Although the crane that is incubating on the nest is hard to view, we have been able to get good footage of the cranes exchanging places on the nest. We have decided to call this pair Lucy and Ricky. We think (but don’t know for sure) that this is a new pair that has not nested here previously. They have chosen a different, more remote spot than previous nest camera pairs. They also do not unison call when changing places on the nest. All previous pairs that we have watched on camera have actively engaged in unison calling when exchanging places on the nest. We suspect that Lucy may be inexperienced at nesting. At times, she has been reluctant to make the nest exchange with Ricky, and when off the nest, she often just stands around in a nearby field, not actively foraging. The good news is that this pair has chosen a spot for their nest in a fenced wetland so it will be difficult for any predators to attack the nest.
Thanks so much Nancy for this information!
You need an overhead drone…..those kids don’t know that the CCCC expects more Nesting Exhibitionism from their (named) pairs….
Dear Nest Cam viewers, we continue to watch Ricky & Lucy in their secluded nest sight in the wetland. We observed another single crane by the river yesterday during the very windy evening, and at 7:51 pm on the “Crane Nest Cam 2025-04-24A” stream, it was joined by a mate. We believe that this may be another nesting pair. We also got some great footage last night of a single crane (possibly Ricky) drinking, possibly feeding and splashing around in the water at about 8:13 pm. We’ll keep searching today to locate the second pair, and we’ll keep an eye on Lucy & Ricky in the wetland. We invite you to join the conversation! If you have any questions or comments, please post them below. Thanks for watching.
I know the beavers can be a nuisance……… but they’re awfully cute to watch!