Methownet BB

has anyone witnessed the Sand hill cranes in the Methow? where have you been seeing them? i'd lover to check them out! we used to get huge flocks of 500 or more migrating thru northern michigan. i didn't know they came thru here but some folks have said they are around here now.

Othello in the Columbia Basin hosts a sandhill crane festival every year where thousands alight against the backdrop of the Saddle mountains. Dates are 20, 21, 22March of 2026.
https://www.othellosandhillcranefestival.org/

I saw and photographed one last year at Big Valley, west of Winthrop. They have been sighted there often by others. May 15. Photos would be on my FB page or that of Methow Nature Notes.

Many thousands also stop in the fields and wetlands of the Yakima river just northwest of Richland each spring. They stay to fuel up for about 3 weeks and then head north to the tundra for the summer.

Here is a link to their range and migration routes, from the international crane foundation.

https://savingcranes.org/species/sandhill-crane/