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. 1:25 to 1:27 – Pebbles wakes up and wanders around in the dark – mom wakes and stands, then dad – maybe Pebbles needed food? Had a nightmare? Just restless? What a night. Then at 5:30 to 5:42 I think it is Wilma than constantly squawks – don’t know what that was about. Guess Pebbles and Fred were ok because I could see them all eating breakfast on the field at 6:50.

    • Wilma and Pebbles woke up at 5:22 and left their night roost at 5:23 this morning. I don’t know why the chick decided to walk out from under Wilma at 1:25 this morning.

      They seem to be going into that wheat field every morning!

    • Actually, the squawking/calling starts at 5:32 and goes on until 5:51. Looks like at 5:22 to 5:23 one of the parents takes Pebble off the “island” to go for breakfast maybe. Then the calling/squawking starts at 5:32 when Pebbles and one of the parents returns to the “island” – then the go off to the right and off and on you can see one of the parents at the lower left squawking/calling. 20 minutes of calling – wonder what the commotion was all about!

  2. 20:44 camera finds Wilma heading to the “island” where the family sleeps at night. Fred and Pebbles are already there. Then a deer follows Wilma and Fred and Wilma spread their wings and chase it away. Wowsers!!!!

    • Yes! That deer was too close! Did you see that there was a muskrat (I think) or maybe it was the mink again, hard to tell, that came by at 22:50. Wilma stood up and spread her wings and Fred walked closer to them.

      • Aw – I missed that one! And I was going back and forth – but I did see that she was watching something – guess I skipped too far.

        • Found it – it’s still on the screen – couldn’t tell if it was a muskrat or mink either. Cool that she woke up!

  3. It is irresistible to point out that the teeny tiny “Peebles” is getting hulky enough to cop a new name, and someone I know out there suggested he will eventually become “Boulder”!….
    Whatever. Once he and the family leave the Yampa Valley, he becomes willy-nilly A ROLLING STONE! (Not “Mick”….)

  4. May 31, 2022 – 11:18 fun to watch Pebbles stumble thru the brush and then cross the water again with his parents. His legs are getting so long!!! We’re wondering if he gets leg aches (growing pains) from growing so fast!

    • ha! I don’t know the answer to that one. It is fun watching him/her grow- looks like Pebbles is as tall as the parents’ legs! I’m sure Pebbles feels awkward with his/her long legs that keep getting longer every day.

  5. We got a really cool look into the family last night when they roosted in view of the camera. Wilma sat in the grass with Pebbles under her while Fred stayed close by. It looks like Wilma was alert much of the night, not sure when she gets any sleep! At 5:30 this morning (5/31/22) the family wakes up and leaves the night roost. (I’m posting a highlight video as I type).

    Pebbles is 2 weeks old!!

  6. Monday, May 30, 2022 – 5:35 a lone crane (Fred?) standing by the water (where I saw it last night) and then 5:36 it looks like Wilma and Pebbles stand up and head toward the water and they cross around 5:37 – guess they spent the night there.

  7. I hope to clarify a couple of questions that have come up. The lodge you see in the background of the wetland area is a beaver lodge. The beavers have helped to enhance the wetland where the cranes nested and are still visiting periodically.

    Although from time to time we have referred to Pebbles as “she” (perhaps because the Flintstones’ Pebbles was a girl), we do not actually know whether Pebbles is male or female. Other than size (males are slightly larger), the only way to distinguish male and female cranes is when they do their unison calling. Males call once, females twice. But unison calling is something that only happens after cranes have formed a pair bond, around 4 years of age. Pebbles will likely be long gone from the area before she is old enough to mate. Pebbles’ sex will remain a mystery for now.

  8. Sunday, May 29, 2022, A gorgeous scenery @ 6:45 – 6:50 (etc.); 7:00 – 8:00 great pix of Fred and Pebbles (closeups too), then the whole family together. At 8:09:56 Wilma lays down in the field and Pebbles hides in her wings (while it is storming); At 8:33:08 – 8:33:16 Pebbles peeks out from under mom’s wing and they kiss? 9:43 – 10:29 it storms again and mom and Pebbles lay down next to the center fence post until 10:29 when Fred walks by and at 10:30:18 Wilma stands up (Pebbles underneath) and they all walk to the right. Great shots of the family today. (Oh, and in the field around 8:00 the family is in the way of killdeer nest.

    • Yes, lots of good crane action today!! Wilma hid Pebbles under her wing during a storm. The killdeers tried to lure the cranes away from a nest or young. Great closeups of Pebbles and the family early today.

  9. Two crane families (each with one chick) are staying close to the nesting area. A third family with two chicks is being seen on and off camera during the last few days. We are amazed and overjoyed that we have witnessed so many wonderful moments with these cranes during this 2022 nesting season. We have decided to keep the camera going as long as cranes remain in the area. However, we are not able to continually monitor the live stream so there may be periods of time when the camera is focused on scenery and not the cranes. We hope you will continue to tune in periodically to see what is happening with the cranes. We will continue to post highlight videos until we take down the camera. Thanks so much to all of you for your interest in the cranes!

  10. The morning light this morning (5/27/22) is just beautiful. At 6:35- 7:00 am we got some amazing views of Pebbles in the morning light with Wilma while Fred was off camera probably looking after his territory or eating in the wheat field.

    As Wilma and Fred move around, we might turn the camera to view some other interesting things or animals during the day. As of 8am we are looking out on a field that has another crane pair that just hatched a chick a few days ago. There is so much wildlife to see in the area!

  11. On 5/26/22, intermittently from 9:42-10:39, several incidents of either Wilma or Fred gracefully stretching a leg out behind them (crane ballet).

  12. Not to upstage my “Ave atque Vale” of 5/24 or anything, but today’s video from 4:30 AM to 7:30 AM when the fixed camera captures the play of light pre-dawn to bright, on the sunny Yampa valley landscape, is pretty spectacular too, even without the cranes! Save it!
    And that period 9:40-9:50 with the two “families” within 50 yards is fabulous!
    Plus a neat little dividend at 8:08-8:10 when the crane and chick have ventured into territory “owned” by a pair of black birds who harass the adult crane to “move off, buddy”, while the crane, for whatever reason, picks up and drops repeatedly wads of dead grass, apparently to menace the harassers….
    Great morning!

  13. We are learning so much about cranes with chicks this year. We have been able to watch Wilma and Fred with chick Pebbles forage in the area near their nest, both in the grasses and meadows, a bit into the trees, and in the wetland.

    We have also found a second crane pair that has 2 chicks that hatched recently and are in the vicinity of Wilma and Freds nest. Fred and the male from this other pair had a fight a few nights ago in the dirt-filled wheat field.

    We have also seen a 3rd pair on the camera that were nesting a little further away than Wilma and Fred. I have been keeping tabs on them and they have been seen on their nest over the last few weeks. They started nesting a little bit after Wilma and Fred. Now today (5/26/22), we can see that pair with their new chick! The chick must have hatched in the last few days. At 9:45-9:50 you can see both of these pairs in view of the nest camera- Fred and Wilma and Pebbles in the foreground, and this other pair in the background very close to where they nested.

    We are thrilled to be able to see these interactions and learn about nesting and chick-rearing Sandhill Cranes with this Nest Camera!!

    • Spectacular Erin! Thank you.

      Question: yesterday morning were those red winged blackbirds swooping down and around the adult cranes and do they have nests near by? Acting very territorial!

      • Yes, there are lots of red-winged blackbirds in the area and they definitely have nests because they are acting territorial. This morning at about 8:00-8:10, the blackbirds were mobbing the crane and the crane looked like it picked up a nest off the ground and destroyed it. We are still trying to understand exactly what that means.

  14. At 12:41 they cross the water – looks like Pebbles swims across – maybe they are going to where they nested before Pebbles was born.

    • Yes! We got to watch Pebbles swim across while the parents walked in the shallow water. The family is back in the meadow just a few hundred feet from their nest. It’s hard to see Pebbles in the grass even though Pebbles is growing so much!

  15. Anticipating that the Cranes’ “Yampa Visas” will expire soon and this year’s pair and all the other parents and chicks will move out — and the camera will come down — 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. Hope “Fred” and “Wilma” let alone grown-up “Pebbles” and the rest will have a return engagement next year. Many Thanks…

    • So I should explain: I was looking around for Wilma and Fred and came upon a single crane with a chick- only after a few minutes I noticed the crane had 2 chicks!! This is a different family that nested in the area. Last weekend we saw a territory dispute between 2 males from different pairs in the dirt wheat field. Tonight I found this other pair and eventually Fred came over to mark his the edge of his territory. There was a short fight and Fred eventually walked back to Wilma and Pebbles and are on the edge of the dirt wheat field that they have been hanging around. Such drama on the nest camera!

  18. Great footage of the chick Pebbles (6 days old) this morning! ~7:45-8:50am

    We will keep the camera up as long as the family stays in this area that is in the camera’s view. We will try to keep the camera focused on the cranes as best we can as the family moves around during the day. Thanks everyone for watching!

    Also, check out the highlight videos for views of the chick the last few days!!

  19. 8:31—-8:32am Thank you to the camera for following our family of 3 as they frolic in the grass! So adorable!

    • Yes! And did you notice a crane sitting on a nest in the cattails in the background?

      We will do our best to follow the family as long as they stay near the nest.

  20. What a beautiful morning!!! 8:35 is so serene with the 3 of them. This baby seem exceptionally bright – watches every move his parents make and imitates them. Seems like he/she is already learning to peck for food. 8:36:26 he stretches tall. 8:47 the geese “go crazy” (maybe someone in their territory? 9:45 is an awesomely peaceful scene too.
    9:43:45 Fred & Wilma chase something!!!! Baby tries to follow.
    9:51 to 9:52 Pebbles seems to be trying to peck for bugs then gets tired and lays down.
    What a beautiful day in “crane land”

    • It was a beautiful day to watch the family!! Some great shots of the family and chick Pebbles. You can see in some moments that the parents are presenting food to Pebbles and Pebbles then pecks at it. Often one of the parents goes off to feed- probably to an area more rich in food that they can gorge themselves then come back to hang out with Pebbles. It’s great to see Pebbles doing so well!

  21. What happened at 19:03 – a crane chasing another crane – then the crane that was being chased walked rapidly off to the left and went back to another crane???

    • Those two cranes are two males from two different pairs in the area. They have been having a dispute the last few days about their territory boundary. One of the males is Fred, the other from a nearby pair. The wheat field that is all dirt right now seems to be the boundary between their territories.

  22. 17:50 Fred calls and Wilma shows up and they are all three together. Been watching from 17:10 to about 17:18 and Pebbles is great at keeping up with Fred. Priceless to watch all this.

  23. We found one of the adults- either Wilma or Fred- bedding down in the grass at about 16:50 today. The chick is is presumably under the parent. (You can see the parent’s back feathers fluff up and down which is in response to the chick moving around under the parent.

    At 17:10 the parent stands up and the chick is visible!!! They have survived the snow storm!

    • In the past two days we have seen 3 pairs of cranes, each pair with 2 chicks. So good to see them. Two pairs in Craig and one pair between Craig and Hayden.

    • Great camera work following Fred(?) and Pebbles. Pebbles certainly seems to have a lot of energy following her dad(?). Although we can’t really see him feeding her, it looks as if he might be putting food down in front of her to peck at. Fingers crossed that that’s the case. That little one is already growing fast and needs the energy to keep going.

      • Yes, I believe the parent is presenting food to Pebbles that Pebbles is then eating. And Pebbles needs to learn what to eat which in part is learned by watching the parents eat.

  24. It’s a snowy day here on the Nest Camera. Snow started sometime last night. With a newly hatched chick that can’t thermoregulate yet, it will be important to keep the chick warm. The parents may brood the chick more today (meaning the adult sits on the ground with the chick under them or under their wing). Hopefully they can find some food today because the chick needs to stay healthy and continue growing.

    I’m hopeful the chick will make it through this snowstorm and hopefully we can catch a glimpse of the chick today.

  25. Has anyone seen Pebbles since 13:31 today (May 19, 2022? So much wind there – at the dirt area where they were feeding. Maybe he/she is hidden in the tall grass.

    • I think that was the last time I saw Pebbles. But the parents were keeping the chick mainly in the taller grass that is hard to see behind the equipment and trees while one of the adults would jump into the wheat field to feed.