Tag Archives: Cranes

Red-throated Loons, Sandhill Cranes, Le Conte’s Sparrow, and Western Meadowlark, April 1, 2017

Sandhill Cranes

Sandhill Cranes (click to see the larger version)

I spent an enjoyable morning at Montrose today, April 1. It was on the chilly side, but the sun was out and the birding was productive. I ended up with 46 species in about 3 hours, highlights including:

White-winged Scoter – group of 9 flying north
Red-throated Loon – group of 4 flying north
Common Loon – 6 flying north
Sandhill Crane – 2 flying south over the point
Bonaparte’s Gull – group of 9 flying north
Le Conte’s Sparrow – 1 in the dunes
Western Meadowlark – 1, seen and heard singing in the dunes

The bird of the day goes to the Western Meadowlark. I’ve only had a couple WEMEs in my 30+ years birding Montrose, so this is a pretty good bird for me. The Sandhill Cranes and Le Conte’s Sparrow were nice bonus birds. Link to my eBird checklist below.

eBird Checklist
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S35609386

Sandhill Crane, March 13, 2015

Sandhilll Crane

Sandhill Crane (click to see the larger version)

The Sandhill Crane found standing on the ice inside Montrose Harbor yesterday was still there this morning, March 13. I’ve seen some strange things at Montrose but this has to rank near the top of the strangeness meter. Sandhill Cranes aren’t all that rare at Montrose but the ones we do see are always flying over. In all the years I’ve birded there I think I’ve seen them on the ground just once. Not so strange were the 4 or 5 White-winged Scoters at the harbor mouth.