WhenToBird

Antigone canadensis · Gruidae

When Do Sandhill Cranes Arrive in Alabama?

Adult Sandhill crane
Photo: Cathy Perkins, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Sandhill Cranes are winter birds in Alabama: the first arrive in early November, they are common by mid November, peak in mid January (6.3% of checklists), and most are gone by early February.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 1-7early November
Common byNov 15-21mid November
PeakJan 15-21mid January
Most gone byFeb 1-7early February

Best: mid January. First arrivals early November; most are gone by early February. Peak: on about 6.3% of Alabama checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octrare
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 5.6% of 8642 checklistsJan 8-14: 6.4% of 6607 checklistsJan 15-21: 6.2% of 6680 checklistsJan 22-31: 6.3% of 9008 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.8% of 6642 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.8% of 7568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.0% of 9929 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.0% of 6490 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.4% of 6458 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.2% of 6570 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 6773 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 10830 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 8995 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 10390 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 12700 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 14225 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 9140 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 8111 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 6353 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 8318 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 5231 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 4757 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 4646 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 5740 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 4694 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 4178 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 4109 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 6000 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 4666 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 4468 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 4474 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 6494 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 5434 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 5216 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 5162 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 7474 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 6916 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 7332 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 6038 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 7071 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.0% of 5207 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.5% of 4883 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.1% of 5122 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.1% of 7130 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.5% of 4897 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.5% of 4738 checklistsDec 15-21: 7.4% of 5321 checklistsDec 22-31: 6.0% of 9158 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Alabama that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in Alabama

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Morgan CountyBest mid January · 354 checklists that week, 6,256 in all86%
  2. Jackson CountyBest the second week of December · 43 checklists that week, 2,292 in all42%
  3. Limestone CountyBest the second week of December · 152 checklists that week, 6,886 in all39%
  4. Cherokee CountyBest early December · 10 checklists that week, 855 in all8.0%
  5. Geneva CountyBest early December · 52 checklists that week, 3,203 in all7.4%
  6. DeKalb CountyBest early December · 11 checklists that week, 1,273 in all6.5%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Flint Creek Island (Crabtree Slough)Morgan County, best the second week of December · 21 checklists that week, 529 in all100%
  2. Flint Creek IslandMorgan County, best early December · 84 checklists that week, 2,196 in all99%
  3. Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge (Flint Creek Island)Morgan County, best mid January · 37 checklists that week, 421 in all96%
  4. Jackson County Waterfowl Area and RefugeJackson County, best the second week of January · 29 checklists that week, 352 in all90%
  5. Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge (southwest)Morgan County, best late January · 22 checklists that week, 172 in all87%
  6. Wheeler National Wildlife RefugeLimestone County, best early December · 44 checklists that week, 902 in all74%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Alabama, the Sandhill Crane is most often listed on checklists started between 12 and 2 pm (2.3% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (109) to judge1 am: too few checklists (111) to judge2 am: too few checklists (112) to judge3 am: too few checklists (143) to judge4 am: too few checklists (303) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4125) to judge6 am: 0.3% of 26677 checklists7 am: 0.7% of 42599 checklists8 am: 1.3% of 39919 checklists9 am: 2.0% of 34699 checklists10 am: 2.3% of 28551 checklists11 am: 2.2% of 23505 checklists12 pm: 2.4% of 20345 checklists1 pm: 2.3% of 18964 checklists2 pm: 2.3% of 20110 checklists3 pm: 1.6% of 20685 checklists4 pm: 0.9% of 19041 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 13807 checklists6 pm: 0% of 8507 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (3367) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (637) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (295) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (233) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (141) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January5.6%6.4%6.2%6.3%
February3.8%1.8%1.0%1.0%
March0.4%0.2%0.1%0.1%
April0.1%0%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0%0%
September0.1%0%0%0%
October0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
November1.0%2.5%4.1%5.1%
December5.5%4.5%7.4%6.0%

Neighboring states

  • Mississippi: arrives late May, 21 weeks earlier than Alabama
  • Georgia: arrives mid November, 2 weeks later than Alabama
  • Tennessee: arrives the second week of November, 1 week later than Alabama
  • Louisiana: arrives mid November, 2 weeks later than Alabama

Common questions

When do Sandhill Cranes arrive in Alabama?
Sandhill Cranes are winter birds in Alabama: the first arrive in early November, they are common by mid November, peak in mid January (6.3% of checklists), and most are gone by early February.
When do Sandhill Cranes leave Alabama?
Most Sandhill Cranes have left Alabama by early February, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid February.
When is the best time to see a Sandhill Crane in Alabama?
The Sandhill Crane is reported most often in mid January, on about 6.3% of Alabama checklists.
Where in Alabama are Sandhill Cranes seen most often?
By county, Morgan County, Jackson County, and Limestone County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Sandhill Crane (counties with at least 200 checklists).