WhenToBird

Antigone canadensis · Gruidae

When Do Sandhill Cranes Arrive in Michigan?

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

Sandhill Cranes are in Michigan all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from late February, peak in late March (20% of checklists), and fall back by early June. In the quietest week (mid January) they are still on about 2.0% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildFeb 22-28late February
PeakMar 22-31late March
Fall back byJun 1-7early June
FewestJan 15-21mid January

Best: late March. Here all year; numbers build from late February and fall back by early June. Peak: on about 20% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 4.2% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.6% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.0% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.6% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.7% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.0% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.9% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 14% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 18% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 20% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 20% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 20% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 21% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 20% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 18% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 18% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 16% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 15% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 14% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 13% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 12% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 11% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 10% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 8.9% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 9.8% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 9.6% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 10% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 11% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 12% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 12% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 12% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 12% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 13% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 13% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 13% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 13% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 13% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 13% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 12% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 11% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 10% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 8.6% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.9% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 6.9% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.8% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.0% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.3% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.1% of 30908 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 Michigan 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 Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Gratiot CountyBest late March · 237 checklists that week, 5,892 in all64%
  2. Clinton CountyBest late March · 380 checklists that week, 10,597 in all49%
  3. Missaukee CountyBest late March · 110 checklists that week, 2,151 in all48%
  4. Livingston CountyBest early October · 499 checklists that week, 31,033 in all47%
  5. Jackson CountyBest mid October · 491 checklists that week, 34,259 in all46%
  6. Barry CountyBest the second week of March · 663 checklists that week, 29,465 in all46%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Big Marsh LakeCalhoun County, best late October · 27 checklists that week, 160 in all100%
  2. Waterloo State Wildlife AreaJackson County, best mid March · 23 checklists that week, 463 in all98%
  3. Wildwing Lake (northeast)Oakland County, best mid July · 27 checklists that week, 1,430 in all97%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Sandhill Crane is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (18% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (712) to judge1 am: too few checklists (592) to judge2 am: too few checklists (532) to judge3 am: too few checklists (516) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1592) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6849) to judge6 am: 21% of 39298 checklists7 am: 17% of 120344 checklists8 am: 14% of 180109 checklists9 am: 12% of 171966 checklists10 am: 12% of 156332 checklists11 am: 11% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 10% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 9.7% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 9.0% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 9.0% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 9.8% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 12% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 14% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 16% of 44912 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (21062) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5920) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1629) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (775) 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
January4.2%2.6%2.0%1.6%
February2.7%4.0%5.9%14%
March18%20%20%20%
April21%20%18%18%
May16%15%14%13%
June12%11%10%8.9%
July9.8%9.6%10%11%
August12%12%12%12%
September13%13%13%13%
October13%13%12%11%
November10%8.6%7.9%6.9%
December5.8%5.0%4.3%4.1%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: arrives early July, 17 weeks later than Michigan
  • Indiana: arrives the second week of February, 2 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Illinois: arrives the second week of February, 2 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Wisconsin: arrives the second week of February, 2 weeks earlier than Michigan

Common questions

When do Sandhill Cranes arrive in Michigan?
Sandhill Cranes are in Michigan all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from late February, peak in late March (20% of checklists), and fall back by early June. In the quietest week (mid January) they are still on about 2.0% of checklists.
When do Sandhill Cranes leave Michigan?
Sandhill Cranes never fully leave Michigan: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early June, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.0% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Sandhill Crane in Michigan?
The Sandhill Crane is reported most often in late March, on about 20% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Sandhill Cranes seen most often?
By county, Gratiot County, Clinton County, and Missaukee County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Sandhill Crane (counties with at least 200 checklists).