Sandhill Crane Nest Camera
Greater Sandhill Cranes will return to the same general area every year to nest and typically build a nest in the same or similar spot. Nests are simple, mound-like platforms made of marsh plants, grasses and weeds piled on the ground in marshes or wet meadows. Sandhill Cranes in Colorado usually lay two eggs in late April or early May and incubate these eggs for about 30 days. Both crane parents will help in incubating the eggs and caring for the young once they hatch. When the eggs hatch, Sandhill Crane chicks are able to see, are covered in down feathers, and are able to walk within a few hours. After about a day, the chicks will leave the nest with their parents.
Learn more about Sandhill Crane nesting by checking out our Nesting FAQs! Watch our 2021 webinar: Everything You Want to Know About Greater Sandhill Crane Nesting.
Watch the Nest Camera Highlights to see all the excitement in short video clips!
The Crane Nest
In 2021, we watched Sandhill Crane pair Rocky and Athena successfully hatch one egg. In 2022, Rocky and Athena returned to their nesting area but nested just beyond the range of the Nest Camera. So in 2022, we followed a different Sandhill Crane pair, Fred and Wilma, as they successfully hatched one egg and raised that chick for several weeks. In 2023, we again witnessed the nesting saga of Rocky and Athena, who successfully produced two adorable chicks, Cinnamon and Sage, both of whom hatched on the same day. The family hung around the camera for several weeks before leaving the area.
This year, 4 cranes returned to the nest area on March 19th but were gone the next day. A few days later, an adult pair appeared on the scene, had territorial disputes with another pair, and engaged in nesting behaviors. Finally, this pair (Rocky and Athena) laid their first egg on April 16 at 2:04 pm and the second egg on April 18 at 6:46 am. Incubation is approximately 30 days so they are expected to hatch on May 16 and 18.
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. Visit our Nest Camera Highlights page to see the best moments from this nest.
The live video feed was made possible through grants provided by the Yampa Valley Community Foundation and the WHILD fund. Internet access for live streaming is provided by Zirkel Wireless. Camera installation and setup were completed by Photon Syndicate. Updated equipment was possible because of generous individual donors. Thank you also to CCCC staff and volunteers for their tech support. Thank you to all our wonderful viewers without which this camera would not exist.
Paul Williams says
21:07 hearing a couple Great Horned Owls conversing.
21:14 started to move away.
David Moulton says
Watching that second egg being laid was a real thrill!
Thanks to the great Nest Camera Team for providing the world with the opportunity to view this.
Barry Kaplan says
Two eggs!!
This morning at
06:40:23 she stands, turns the egg
6:41:59 she moves it further, continues tending it
6:42:28 she squats and continues turning egg
6:46:16 she stands and begins moving the new egg next to the other
6:47:08 she sits, begins incubating both eggs
She then rests…
The light is beautiful this morning
Shay says
Hi there. I am watching about 2 o’clock in the afternoon I’m wondering where the mail is? Thank you so much.
Barry Kaplan says
Hi, Shay! Thanks for your question!
Since we’re entranced by watching Athena or whomever is on the nest at any given time, we couldn’t say exactly where Rocky was at that very moment BUT, most often whomever is not on the nest is off feeding, preening, grooming, sleeping, or nearby being watchful and protecting their family. We do occasionally zoom out so we can watch. This evening when Athena came back to the nest we were able to see Rocky go to the wetland for a brief time, then fly off out of view.
Susan Morgan says
Thanks to Barry for the play by play! I love it!
Barbara Hughes says
2nd egg laid at 6:46 a.m. today. Woohoo!!!
Sharon Kay Jost says
April 16 3:00-3:20 pm. A very windy afternoon and camera shaking somewhat. At about 3:18 the crane sitting on the nest stood up and called. It left and immediately the darker crane came in to view from the right. Just one egg visible and was moved a bit. Crane then sat down. I had to stop watching as it was a bit difficult with the camera movement from the wind.
Erin says
It’s interesting the cranes chose this spot for their nest. They had been seen nest building in a different location probably just 20 yards away in an area that was more inundated with water and had more cattails. But they must have determined the site wasn’t good enough and chose this spot instead. This spot doesn’t have as much water surrounding it as nest locations the pair has chosen in the past few years. Although the cranes chose the most perfect spot to nest for the camera!
Cranes typically lay 2 eggs in the nest a few days apart. Expect to see another laying of an egg on April 17 or 18. But notice the cranes incubate the first egg as soon as it is laid. This means the first egg is likely to hatch a day or two before the second egg.
David Moulton says
At 08:59:30 the Crane certainly showed a Goose who is boss! The two seemed to have been arguing when the Crane suddenly charged at the Goose. The Goose beat a very hasty retreat.
Barry Kaplan says
As other people have already said, it’s an exciting time at the nest!
One thing that amazes me is how little they sleep.
Here’s last night’s activity up to 5:15 am.
It was a busy night for them, including two nest defenses:
23:51-23:53
00:13-00:14:14
Standing, turning egg,sitting
Snow less heavy approx 23:51
Athena awake and alert, snow was heavy on and off through the night — often making it difficult to see what was happening.
00:56:17 Athena stands, Rocky comes, both alerted
00:57:40 he comes back in, spreads wings defensively
00:58:02 she spreads wings defensively, moves a step, raccoon runs past
00:58:25 another wing spread
00:58:32 she tends egg
00:59:16 he leaves and she sits, finally awake but more relaxed posture
Remains awake, watching
03:11:30 she stands,
03:12:15 flaps wing turns, tends egg
03:13:17 sits
04:01 stands, walks off camera 04:01:20
Crane, most likely still Athena, walks back in, walks a bit around nest
04:03:40 returns to tend egg
04:05:17 resumes sitting
04:26 stands
04:26:54 slides egg, continues to tend
04:28:17-04:35:17 off the egg out of sight and returns
04:37:20 Rocky comes in, both move off camera
04:37:40 crane returns
04:38:15 Rocky walks past
04:38:48 Athena sits
04:41:00 She stands, cranes heard calling not far away, she remains standing alert
05:09:07 wings spread defensively she moves to our right, comes back jumping wings still spread; Rocky comes in, stands close to nest, both looking across ditch
05:09:05 both walk off camera
05:11:04 she returns, tends egg
05:12:55 rolls egg
05:13:11 sits
Whew!
Richard R Palmer says
The pair surely have been checking out the site thoroughly……and seemed to be putting a “down payment” on the table…..but that vigorous rainstorm last night might give them pause, considering the proximity of lots and lots of water both in front and behind….
Richard R Palmer says
Ooops. I hadn’t seen the egg laying, and I had not realized till after my previous comment that the storm was snow as well and rain. But this morning there would seem to be real trouble and the sitter is up with that egg uncovered…..
Keith says
Egg has been “uncovered” since 7:19, almost 1 hour as of now. Is this normal?
Nancy Merrill says
Sometimes cranes don’t get serious about incubating until the second egg is laid.
However, it is concerning that they have been off the egg for nearly an hour. I think there are other cranes in the area that are distracting them. We have seen this behavior before (where the egg is left unattended for awhile) and the egg has still hatched. So, we will just have to wait to see what happens here.
Susan Morgan says
Everything that has been happening is so exciting! I love being able to see them in the dark with their glowing eyes!
Nancy Merrill says
It’s been a fascinating day on the nest camera. After several days of faux nest building in one spot, our crane pair decided to explore another potential nest spot across the waterway. it was time to get serious about building a nest and laying an egg! Around 12:50 the cranes start throwing cattail leaves around and the female “squats” on her legs and makes several attempts to lay an egg. It appears she is experiencing some difficulty getting that egg out, but finally at 14:04 she succeeds and the egg is clearly visible on camera The male immediately appears back on the scene. This is an amazing sequence to watch!
Joey Chadwick says
An egg was laid between 13:03 and 13:04 today (4/15/24) – tax day! Was very interesting earlier to see her squat down several times. Not sure if she was feeling labor pains or what. Dad stood by for protection I would imagine. EXCITING DAY!!!!
Karen Whitney says
FIRST EGG LAID 2:04:40 pm on April 15, 2024!
Paul Williams says
While following the cranes feeding south of the crops for cranes field last evening (5/14; 6:30pm – 7:45pm) they stayed in the camera for quite some time. A question came up wondering which pair it could be of the two pair we’ve been seeing. Noticing the differences in size and color we took close-up pictures while they were posing.
When I found the cranes this morning (7:00am) feeding in the same field as last evening, to me, they looked like the same pair that I followed last evening.
Nancy Merrill says
I believe nesting has begun! At 11:10 am the pair walks across the stream and starts to engage in nesting behavior at several spots in the area. At 11:52:54 she sits and appears to start incubating while he wanders off. At 12:08 she stands up, and he walks in from the field. At 12:10 he flies across the water and appears to be chasing off another pair of cranes (lots of noise). At 12:11 she flies off and more commotion is heard at 12:12. The cranes have not returned yet to the nesting area, but sometime serious incubation does not start until the female has laid both eggs. We’ll definitely keep an eye on this area.
Barry Kaplan says
Good Morning! The Cranes are being elusive…
At 10:24:07 this morning, for a brief moment, four cranes were spotted near the culvert that is beyond the roosting/nesting area. They were calling and another pair were heard calling in the near distance. The two pairs flew off, and unfortunately we couldn’t locate any of the three pairs on camera.
So what’s happening?
It seems there are at least three pairs of cranes in the area, all trying to establish “their” territory. This is consistent with last year, when Rocky and Athena were successful establishing their nest and raising two colts. There had previously been two other pairs in the area with one pair more active than the other, but all competing for territory.
Hopefully, we’ll all see who successfully establishes their territory, nests, and lays eggs. It should be soon. We’re watching!
On behalf of the Production Team, thanks for staying tuned and remember, we appreciate hearing from you!
Barry
Barry Kaplan says
Speaking of questions, Joey Chadwick asked about going back to see activity that took place earlier in the day.
The camera stream is reset every day, at least twice a day but occasionally more often. Did you ever wonder why you see for example, 2024 Crane Camera 04-13a at the top of the screen? That’s telling you the video’s date: year (2024); title (Crane Camera); date (04-13) and whether it’s the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, of the day (a, b, or c). It’s super easy to review footage from earlier in the current stream simply by moving along the time bar. The stream is most often reset at 9am & 9pm, so if you were to scroll back at 10am, there might be only an hour or so available but if you were to check at 8pm, you might find 11 hours to go back and watch.
I can hear you ask: “How do I watch yesterday’s video?”
Not quite as easy, but still doable.
Open the YouTube app and search for “Colorado Cranes”. You should see a number of recent videos and now that you know how we name them, if you are looking for footage from a specific date and time you should be able find it. Click on it and once it’s running, you can scroll to review the entire video.
Make sense? We hope this helps.
Joey Chadwick says
Wow! Thanks Mark!!!
Susan Morgan says
Its so exciting to be back with the Cranes! And a warm welcome to Megan!
Susan Morgan says
So exciting to be back and a big welcome to Meg! ☺
Nancy Merrill says
Around 11:08 am we see the pair doing some faux nest building. They really seem to like this spot. I bet they will nest for real in this area in the next day or so.
Joey Chadwick says
Good morning. First day for the camera. So exciting!!! Did notice the time bar only goes back one hour – so we were unable to see the cranes vying for territory, etc. Is there any way for the camera to go back further in time?
Nancy Merrill says
To access the livestream video from this morning when the two pairs were “fighting” and the one pair mated, go to YouTube.com. In the search bar type:
Colorado Cranes Test High Res 04-11b
Nancy Merrill says
At 8:16 this morning we see one of the crane pairs prepare to copulate. The male spreads his wings, then the female spreads her wings, and at 8:17 am, the male mounts the female. It’s all over in a few seconds and they bow to each other. They are getting ready to nest!
Allyson Bass says
Thank you for this update, Nancy! This is so exciting. Watching live and eagerly from the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo!
Nancy Merrill says
Lots of crane action this morning. Two pairs are vying for the same territory. Around 6:50 am both pairs were seen together, each trying to gain control of the territory. There was much unison calling by each pair and various threats, including crouch threats (where the cranes sit down to proclaim”this is my territory”) and ruffle threats (where the cranes shake their tail feathers). No direct fighting but lots of threats. Which pair will win the territory? Stay tuned!
Betsy Blakeslee says
If I were a crane I’d want to nest there!
Erin says
Cranes are back in the Yampa Valley….. Spring is on its way…. Winter snow is melting…And so Nest Camera season begins!
Barry Kaplan says
Hi, Everyone! A note from the Production Team…
Welcome to CraneCam 2024! So happy to have you join us!
First, we’re happy and excited to have the camera up and running, and even more so the Cranes are enjoying being stars of the show. You know these stars of stage and screen can be shy and retiring or worse yet, “difficult” to work with. Not these guys and gals!
Now, on to “business”:
You, yes you, can be a part of the CraneCam team!
We’d love you to post comments, especially when you see anything interesting or notable. Please include what you observed and when. In advance we thank all you budding citizen scientists. Questions cheerfully accepted, too.
On behalf of your grateful Production Team, happy watching, everybody!
Barry