Colorado Crane Conservation Coalition

Presenters of the Yampa Valley Crane Festival

Sandhill Crane Nest Camera

 

Photo by Abby Jensen

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.

2022 Nest Camera Season

The Crane Nest

Photo by Abby Jensen

This year we focused the Nest Camera on Wilma and Fred, a crane pair that nested in the area in 2021 but were unsuccessful last year. Wilma and Fred built their nest around mid-April, laid the first egg on April 15th and the second egg on April 17th. Wilma and Fred faithfully incubated the eggs, taking turns on the nest, for over 30 days. One egg broke for unknown reasons in early May and was removed from the nest by Fred. Nevertheless, Wilma and Fred persevered. On May 17th, the remaining egg hatched and Pebbles was born. The livestream remained online after Pebbles hatched and Pebbles was frequently seen on camera during her first 3 weeks of life. The family eventually expanded their territory and were no longer seen on the camera once Pebbles was a month old. The family stayed in the general area of their nest throughout the summer.

Watch Wilma and Fred’s nesting journey in this video produced by Photon Syndicate Productions:

 

You can continue to watch the highlight videos from the Nest Camera:

Nest Camera Highlights

 

Here is what some people had to say about this year’s Nest Camera:

I want to thank Erin, Nancy, et al for the clairvoyant placement of Crane Camera, the brilliant commentary-instruction, and edited Highlights, and the daytime and especially those overnight dramas you were able to gin up for us, especially with those rascally raccoons.
~Richard

Thank you to the camera for following our family of 3 as they frolic in the grass! So adorable!
~Susan

Whoever is manning the camera is AWESOME! Love the pan shots and just everything you show us!
~Joey

Thanks so much Nancy and Erin for providing the nest cam again this year. It’s been great fun watching Fred and Wilma and now Pebbles!
~Amy

 

Photos of Wilma and Fred and their chick, Pebbles, on the day after hatching (photos by Abby Jensen):

Other Birds Observed on the Nest Camera

There are many other birds that share habitat with Sandhill Cranes. Here are the other birds we have seen or heard on the Crane Nest Camera:

American crow (heard)
American coot
American goldfinch (heard)
American robin
American wigeon
Black-capped chickadee (heard)
Blue-winged teal
Canada goose
Chickadee (heard)
Cinnamon teal
Common merganser
Common yellow-throat (heard)

Gadwall
Great blue heron
Greater yellowlegs
Green-winged teal
Killdeer (heard)
Magpie
Mallard
Mountain bluebird
Northern shoveler
Northern harrier (heard)
Red-shafted flicker
Red-tailed hawk
Red-winged blackbird

Song sparrow (heard)
Sora (heard)
Tree swallow
Virginia rail
Wilson’s snipe (heard)
White-faced ibis
White pelican
Wood duck
Yellow-headed blackbird

Mammals Observed on the Nest Camera:

There are many mammals that share habitat with Sandhill Cranes. Here are the mammals we have seen or heard on the Crane Nest Camera:

Beaver
Domestic cows
Marmot
Muskrat
Mink

Mule deer
Otter
Raccoon
Skunk

Photo by Abby Jensen


Thank you for taking an interest in our Crane Nest Camera. We hope to see you again next spring when we go live again with the Crane Nest Camera!

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 was 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 who monitored the camera and acted as tech support. Thank you to all our wonderful viewers without which this camera would not exist.

ZIRKEL Wireless

Comments

  1. At 13:21:30 (or thereabouts) a gust of wind blows Fred and Wilma across the dirt field. Pebbles doesn’t blow away (guess he/she is low enough to the ground to not get blown about).

  2. Today (5/19/22) between 13:10 and 13:21, we got some great views of our chick, Pebbles, as the family was feeding in a dirt wheat field.

  3. At 13:20 et seq I see precious little evidence that the parents attempt to feed Pebbles. Am I missing something about the process? Would the chick have enough sustenance on board from the egg to last a few days? Is this a morning activity that I just haven’t seen? Pretty windy in the direction of the chick for the digging in the dusty gravel (?) they are doing…

    • The chick can only be sustained for a day or two from the egg after hatching. So they need to start feeding quickly. The parents should be giving the chick food. It looked to me like Fred gave Pebbles some food during that foray into the dirt field. But the chick is still small and probably doesn’t feed as much as the adults.

  4. Wilma, Fred, and Pebbles are doing well The camera picked them up this morning at about 8:29 a.m. We will follow them as best we can.

  5. Good morning. Wilma and Fred left their nest with their chick only yesterday morning. They are staying well hidden behind a group of trees, so they are hard to get with the camera. In the meantime, there is a territory fight between Wilma and Fred and another nearby crane pair. They have been showing several threats toward each other- a rustle threat where they fluff and shake their wing and tail feathers and bow their head, and a crouch threat where they sit down on the ground imitating a nesting crane. These threats and behaviors are fascinating to watch. I’ll post a highlight video of it today.

    Hopefully we can catch a glimpse of Wilma and chick Pebbles today.

  6. From 13:42 to 13:47 you can see Pebbles several times. At 13:47 he runs from the left to his parents – SO CUTE! Whoever is manning the camera is AWESOME! Love the pan shots and just everything you show us!

  7. Wilma and Fred with their little Pebbles in tow have moved several hundred feet from their nest already in the first day the chick has spent away from the nest. We got brief glimpses of the chick at 13:55-13:57. The chick is staying hidden in the tall grasses. Amazing how far they have moved in such a short time!

    At 17:10 today (5/18/22) we got to see Fred feeding in a dirt field while Wilma broods the chick off camera.

  8. Mazeltov to Nancy and the CCCC on the hatching of the bouncing baby grandchick! Pebbles is wonderful. Thanks for providing the Crane Cam.

  9. Great view of little Pebbles chasing after her/his parents at 11:30:18 today (5/18/22).

  10. Fred and Wilma along with baby Pebbles are moving through the cattails, trees, and shrubs in the nest area. We may not be able to see them—or at least have the camera see them—but we’ll track them as well as we can. Less than 24 hours and they’re already off to feed and explore!

  11. As of 10am on 5/18/22, Fred and Wilma with chick in tow left the nest area and moved into the field behind the shrubs. We will try to follow them today to hopefully get some glimpses of the chick!

  12. The chick, Pebbles, hatched yesterday. The mother, Wilma, spent all night brooding the chick and continues to brood the chick this morning. The father, Fred, is nearby.

    We will try to follow the family as best we can today. They will most likely start walking away from the nest area, but we are not certain what they will do or where they will go.

    The cattails are growing and obscure the chick for the most part, but you can get brief glimpses of the chick as it walks around.

  13. Both parents in camera view at 6:46 AM — bobblehead clearly visible at 6:48 AM.

  14. Thanks so much Nancy and Erin for providing the nest cam again this year. It’s been great fun watching Fred and Wilma and now Pebbles!

  15. This was sure a suspenseful day! Thanks CCCC/Nancy and Erin for doing this live crane nest camera again this year!!!! Question: when they all three leave the nest, will they all be together 24/7 or do the mom and dad stay apart at night? I know they all feed in the fields during the day. Just wondered what their new night life will be like since there will no longer be nesting to tend to.

  16. The chick was seen this afternoon, along with Fred and Wilma being VERY attentive and protective. In addition to all the activity IN the nest, there has been quite a lot of action AROUND the nest. Cattle, Red-tailed Hawks, Geese, Raccoon, and their Crane neighbors, all in the vicinity. Fred and Wilma stayed together, at or close to the nest for a very long time today. It has been fascinating to watch!

  17. We have had glimpses of the chick off and on throughout the day. It is tiny and most of the time has not been visible We got to see Fred remove the eggshell from the nest. Both parents have been hanging out around the nest in the later afternoon and acting very territorial. The other crane pair that is nesting nearby is still on their nest. As far as we can tell, those egg(s) have not yet hatched. We hope Wilma and Fred and chick (Pebbles?) will stay close to the camera for the next few days so we can watch the family interaction.

  18. The chick is tiny and not always visible. We believe the chick is fine and that Wilma is keeping it warm and protected at this point. If anything happened to the chick, the crane parent would likely leave the area within a short period of time,

    • Chick clearly visible at about 3:25 pm……..mountain time.

      Congratulations to Erin, Nancy and everyone at CCCC!

      • Thanks Susan. I thought it looked like they couldn’t find their baby and were looking all around for it. Glad you posted this.

  19. At 10:48 the baby wandered off to the right – when Wilma returned at 12:15, I watched until 12:38 and both Fred and Wilma were looking around, but I never saw the baby again. Is it lost????

    • I’m not sure what Wilma and Fred were doing at about 12:15 when Wilma returned to the nest, but I don’t believe they lost the chick. The parents and the chicks start communicating when the chick is still inside the egg before it hatches. They are most likely communicating to each other now. Wilma does come to the nest at about 12:15-12:20 and eats pieces of eggshell. The chick must be close by, otherwise the parents wouldn’t be sitting on the nest. We just can’t see the chick very well with the cattails growing.

      Don’t fear! They stuck it out for 30+ days, they wouldn’t let themselves loose the chick so quickly!

  20. Congrats! Break out the champagne and the Crane Equivalent to cigars!
    They couldn’t have done it without the CCCC support and encouragement!
    Last year the pair did not hang around long within camera range and hope we can track the chick for a few days…

    • We will keep the camera up for a few days. No way of knowing if the cranes will stay near the nest or head out quickly. Cranes may return to a nest to roost during the day within the week after leaving the nest.

  21. Wilma and Fred’s baby chick is born! You can see the chick a little at 10:40 and 10:48. Fred is at the nest and taking care of the chick while Wilma is away.

    I just posted a video of the chick at 10:48 on the Nest Camera Highlights page.

    Since the other egg broke last week and was carried out of the nest, the cranes may not stay at the nest for very long. We will keep the camera up for a few more days to see what the parents do.

  25. 4:10-4:21, a beaver enters from the left but never gets close to the nest.