Sign Up Now to Participate!
If you haven’t already volunteered, now is the time. Winnebago Audubon is still looking for counters to cover the 45 designated sites in Winnebago County for the 47th Annual Midwest Crane Count. More than 1,800 volunteer participants from throughout Wisconsin and portions of Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio and Minnesota participate in the spring survey, which gathers information on the abundance and distribution of cranes in the upper Midwest.
The International Crane Foundation sponsors the Annual Midwest Crane Count as a part of its mission to conserve the world’s 15 species of cranes and the natural communities on which they depend. Sandhill Cranes once nearly disappeared from Wisconsin, but the species has successfully recovered and is slowly expanding into neighboring states.
Observations of Sandhill Cranes can lend insight into threatened crane species, including the endangered Whooping Crane. There are now approximately 75 Whooping Cranes in the reintroduced population in central Wisconsin, and Crane Counters may have a chance of sighting a Whooping Crane during the survey.
Best reasons to be a crane counter:
1. Doing something a little crazy is fun.
2. You can do something good for the environment once a year without becoming a bird-nut.
3. If you are a student, it counts as volunteer hours.
4. You’ll learn to speak crane-ese.
5. It’s a good excuse to watch a sunrise once per year.
6. Bring your binoculars and camera. You’ll be surprised by what other wildlife you see that early in the morning.
7. If the weather is nasty, you can count from inside the car with the heater on.
8. Winnebago County is a great place to survey because we rank high in the number of crane sightings.
9. When finished you still have the whole day ahead of you.
Signing up is easy! Go to the International Crane Foundation website: savingcranes.org where you will find the site maps for Winnebago County. Select a site that you would like to survey, then contact our Winnebago County Coordinator, Evelyn Meuret, to check availability and secure your site. You may contact Evelyn for assistance. She will save sites for folks who counted in 2022 until the end of March. If you are not able to count this year, please let her know that your site is available.
You will also find the data sheet and more information at the savingcranes.org website.
We are hosting an in-person meeting before the crane count on Thursday, April 6 from 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm at the Oshkosh Food Co-op, 155 Jackson St., Suite 1. You may choose a site that night, meet other counters, and ask questions. We will review crane call identification and data entry. This meeting is optional but you may find it helpful if you are a new counter. Please share with friends and family who might be interested in volunteering.
Please let us know if you are interested in meeting for breakfast immediately after the count. We are looking for suggestions on a restaurant. Or a warm place to gather and bring your own.
Please contact Evelyn directly about your interest in participating in this year’s Annual Midwest Crane Count.
Evelyn Meuret
Winnebago County Crane Count Coordinator
evelynmeuret57@att.net
920-573-7828