Greater Sandhill Crane Webinars

Did you miss one of our webinars about Greater Sandhill Cranes? You can find recordings of all our webinars here! Click on the title of the webinar to watch the recording.

 

Everything You Want to Know About Greater Sandhill Crane Nesting
Presented by Erin Gelling and Van Graham
May 3, 2021

Greater Sandhill Cranes nest in the spring in wetlands, building large but simple nests on the ground surrounded by water. Forming life-long pair bonds, crane pairs will typically switch off incubating 2 eggs for 30 days, hatching young that are able to see and walk within a few hours. How do cranes build their nests and protect their nests against predators? Do the parents spend equal time incubating the eggs? What happens when a nest fails or eggs don’t hatch? What happens during hatching? Learn about general crane nesting biology, the more intricate details of nesting, and how you can help protect crane nests.

 

Hatching to Fledging to Independence: Raising Greater Sandhill Crane Chicks
Presented by Van Graham and Erin Gelling
July 28, 2021

Greater Sandhill Crane chicks hatch and almost immediately leave the nest with their parents. They spend the next 3 months growing almost an inch a day, learning what foods to eat, how to probe for food, how to fly, and developing wing and body feathers. By the end of summer, crane chicks (now called colts) can fly and are feeding on their own. But they continue to stay with their parents for almost a year: migrating south, spending the winter, and returning in the spring before finally leaving their parents. Learn what crane chicks eat, how they know what to eat, and when they learn to fly. Learn about sibling rivalry, family units, and how to distinguish colts from adults.

 

Fall Staging and Southern Migration of Greater Sandhill Cranes
Presented by Van Graham and Erin Gelling
October 7, 2021

Greater Sandhill Cranes gather in large groups in “staging” areas during the fall prior to migrating south for the winter. These staging areas are key places for cranes to feed and bulk up for their migration. Cranes migrate during the day and use key stopover sites located along their southern migration route to rest and refuel. Focusing on the Rocky Mountain Greater Sandhill Cranes, learn what staging areas are, why they are important, and how cranes use them. Learn how cranes migrate south and the key stopover sites they use along the way. Learn how people play a role in providing staging areas and what you can do to help cranes during staging and migration.