Anyone noticing more of these guys around the last few years?
I certainly am. Not a ton but they sure do seem to be making a decent comeback. Personally I think they are one of the coolest looking birds out there. Hope one day I catch em while on a hike or bike in order to observe them for awhile.
Get close to their nest and you will get up close and personal with them. There is a pair that nests behind my pole barm and they come out to greet me everytime I go get the tractor out. They are one tall bird when they are 10 foot away and squaking
Yeah, I have seen a lot more in the past few years. Totally cool birds.
They used to be SUPER rare to see, but have made a great comeback. Hopefully they do well enough for a Minnesota-wide season on them (apparently there is a season in NW MN from Roseau to the border), I’ve heard them called the Ribeye of the Sky, and would love to find out myself.
They used to be SUPER rare to see, but have made a great comeback. Hopefully they do well enough for a Minnesota-wide season on them (apparently there is a season in NW MN from Roseau to the border), I’ve heard them called the Ribeye of the Sky, and would love to find out myself.
X2. They is a ton of them by me see them everywhere.
They are awesome, when they make their calls I tell my kids “those are Velociraptors out in the woods” they freak out!
Lots more around here and elsewhere. Another bird that has noticeably increased (other than Eagles) is White Pelicans.
Absolutely way more than in the past. On my way to Mille Lacs I see tons of them in the cut fields in the spring early summer. I have a pair nesting near my house for the first time ever this year!
I grew up near Carlos Avery so there were always a few Sandhills around. I have been seeing a few at our family property west of Duluth the past few years. I don’t ever remember seeing any up there in the past.
I’ve also had a chance to see the wintering Sandhills at Bosque Del Apache Wildlife Refuge in NM and the migration staging area on the Platte River in NE. If anyone has a chance to check these out the birds number in the tens of thousands.
They used to be SUPER rare to see, but have made a great comeback. Hopefully they do well enough for a Minnesota-wide season on them (apparently there is a season in NW MN from Roseau to the border), I’ve heard them called the Ribeye of the Sky, and would love to find out myself.
I would be very careful not to shop at the meat market where these people are buying their ribeyes. 
The Sandhill Crane are not bad but far from a ribeye. Think goose but a little drier/tougher and gamier. We harvested quite a few over the years in ND and I always slow cooked them in a soup based stew and they were ok.
If you want a shot at one head up to ND and buy the $30 stamp and you are good to go. It’s a cool hunt and almost eerie when a large flock comes in with their gurgling call.
Lots more around here and elsewhere. Another bird that has noticeably increased (other than Eagles) is White Pelicans.
Another one of my favs! When they get into that flock in the sky and just start circling it’s fantastic.
There are loads of them in Central Wisconsin. In the fall they bunch up into flocks of hundreds. Never seen a Pelican stick around locally until about 7 years ago. They are really common now.
Plus here in western Wis, the tundra swans are everywhere.
My parents have a few that have moved into the neighborhood, they fly between the pond behind my parents house and the pond across the street multiple times per day with my parents driveway in there flight path…. Those birds leave some nasty streaks on anything parked in the driveway.
The pterodactyl’s are thick by me.i got sod feilds by me and they get thicker and thicker every year. I counted at least 20 different birds in 5 fields.
The Sandhill Crane are not bad but far from a ribeye. Think goose but a little drier/tougher and gamier. We harvested quite a few over the years in ND and I always slow cooked them in a soup based stew and they were ok.
Based on my one time trying crane, I’d say the complete opposite. I grilled a crane breast and while its still falls short of being as good as a ribeye, I found it way better than goose.
They are cool birds and becoming more prevalent every year. I experienced their migration through ND one year and holy crap is that a sight to see. And sooo loud!
Plus here in western Wis, the tundra swans are everywhere.
Are they Tundras or Trumpeters? I know the Tundras migrate thru but I thought the nesters were Trumpeters. I may be wrong on that. At any rate, I’ve been seeing swans throughout the nesting season at the fam prop as well.
I have seen tons of them around the north metro (East Bethel/St. Francis areas) the last couple years. This last fall I was noticing quite a bit more of them along the Mississippi also, which is cool.
I just read an article somewhere this past week claiming almost 10,000 cranes were shot and wasted last year due to crop predation. Name of the article was: “should we be shooting more cranes?” They need to open up more areas to hunt them.
The Sandhill Crane are not bad but far from a ribeye. Think goose but a little drier/tougher and gamier. We harvested quite a few over the years in ND and I always slow cooked them in a soup based stew and they were ok.
That’s your problem right there – they’re called the “ribeye in the sky” because you’re supposed to cook them to temperature like a steak. blank has the right idea about cooking them, anything past medium would probably not be very good.
And agree, they’re a super cool bird. I’ve also seen them plenty going up to ML when cutting across on various roads from 169 to 47, have also seen plenty in the fall in the cut fields near St. Croix state park and Chengwatana state forest.
X2 what eagle said about seeing them the North side, however we have 3 nesting in the backyard this year in Farmtown.
Very cool bird!
They are cool birds and becoming more prevalent every year. I experienced their migration through ND one year and holy crap is that a sight to see. And sooo loud!
I would love to experience that someday. Just read An estimated 598,000 cranes — plus or minus 110,000 — were in the central Platte River end of March one of highest counts. Central Platte river must be rebounding from the drought years. Though the system is changing which maybe why were seeing more sightings further east.
Ive seen a pair in Scandia near Big Marine a few years back. They hung around for a while in a marsh next to a home I was working at.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>blank wrote:</div>
They are cool birds and becoming more prevalent every year. I experienced their migration through ND one year and holy crap is that a sight to see. And sooo loud!I would love to experience that someday. Just read An estimated 598,000 cranes — plus or minus 110,000 — were in the central Platte River end of March one of highest counts. Central Platte river must be rebounding from the drought years. Though the system is changing which maybe why were seeing more sightings further east.
Ive seen a pair in Scandia near Big Marine a few years back. They hung around for a while in a marsh next to a home I was working at.
We reserved one of the blinds at the Rowe Sanctuary on the Platte west of Kearney, NE in the mid 2000s. The blind is about the size of a flip up portable but not high enough to stand in. They drive you in around noonish and you are not allowed to leave the blind until they pick you up 24 hours later. You sleep and whatever you do for food inside that box. That also includes things like pee bottles. Birds start arriving at the river in late afternoon to roost for the night. The birds must get spooked because I remember a massive flight of birds moving thru 2 or 3 times during the night. Sounded like a freight train.
Tons more cranes now, I even have some nesting behind my place in the west metro now.
They are everywhere here. I love hearing them in flight, but watching a pair court or males fight is quite the sight.
Tegg you are most likely right, all know their big !
Are white pelicans rare?
Not sure I’d be happy to see those.
There have been a ton of pelicans around here (Nebraska) for the last 3 weeks and they’re finally starting to move out. The cormorants have been crazy though and they are finally leaving too. You literally can’t drive down a street in Omaha right now without seeing a flock of them somewhere in the sky.
They wiped out the local stocked trout pond to where the game and parks said they wouldn’t stock any more fish until the birds left.
I’d imagine you guys will be seeing them soon.
I see sandhill cranes almost everytime I fish Big Marine in the Summer.
I say open the seasons up. Way to many of them IMO. If you ever see a few in a new corn field stop and ask the farmer what they think of them. They will walk right down a row and pick every new corn plant out and eat it. As for pelicans and cormorants, all I’ll say is remember Leech Lake. We spend a lot of money recovering and then controlling nongame species. Some species don’t need to be recovered.
Great kill and cook episode on Meat Eater on Netflix. Season 5 episode 10, they look delicious!! On a side note “Meat Eater” is an AWESOME show!!
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