Annual Midwest Crane Count
Save the date for the 2026 Midwest Crane Count on Saturday, April 18!
Do you have questions about how to use the data entry form?
Click here to view our video instructions.
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Each year in mid-April, over 2,000 volunteers travel to their local wetlands and favorite birding locations to participate in the crane count. This annual survey of Sandhill and Whooping Cranes spans over 150 counties in seven states of the upper Midwest, including Wisconsin and portions of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio and Minnesota.
To participate in the crane count, you first need to contact your County Coordinator to be assigned a site and get more instructions. Click here to view the listing of county coordinators. See Counter Information to download your data sheet, instructions for entering your data and other useful links.
If your county is not involved and you are interested in becoming a County Coordinator, contact the International Crane Foundation’s Crane Count Coordinator at 608-356-9462 ext. 155.
The Annual Midwest Crane Count is sponsored by the Patti and Jack McKeithan Northwoods Fund.
Mark Hendrickson, Mark Hanson and Mark Johnson have been friends for decades. Since the 1980s the trio has participated in the Annual Midwest Crane Count, a volunteer-based effort to monitor the region’s sandhill crane population. The cold morning in April starts before sunrise, involves hiking and exposure to the elements, and yet each year the men show up for each other.
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Do you count in the eastern time zone? We recommend beginning your survey 15 minutes prior to sunrise in your area – approximately 6:45 a.m. ET.
