WhenToBird

Antigone canadensis · Gruidae

When Do Sandhill Cranes Arrive in Ohio?

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

Sandhill Cranes reach Ohio in early July, are common by mid July, peak in the second week of May (5.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 1-7early July
Common byJul 15-21mid July
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Most gone byJun 1-7early June

Best: the second week of May. First arrivals early July; most are gone by early June. Peak: on about 5.8% of Ohio checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 1.8% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.4% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.4% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.2% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.7% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.4% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.6% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.3% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.8% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.0% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.6% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.3% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.1% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.7% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.4% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.2% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 5.4% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.7% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.9% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.7% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.6% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.2% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.2% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.1% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.6% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.7% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.9% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.2% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.4% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.9% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.7% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.0% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.0% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.3% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.5% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.5% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.1% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.2% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.3% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.8% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.7% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.0% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.9% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.1% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.0% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.8% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.8% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.9% of 36084 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 Ohio 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 Ohio

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wyandot CountyBest mid October · 168 checklists that week, 6,235 in all34%
  2. Wayne CountyBest the second week of October · 732 checklists that week, 37,443 in all30%
  3. Trumbull CountyBest the second week of October · 378 checklists that week, 21,066 in all21%
  4. Williams CountyBest the second week of April · 109 checklists that week, 2,778 in all21%
  5. Ottawa CountyBest the second week of March · 600 checklists that week, 51,024 in all15%
  6. Mercer CountyBest the second week of December · 15 checklists that week, 2,091 in all14%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ritter Marsh (Searles Marsh)Ottawa County, best early November · 34 checklists that week, 1,278 in all88%
  2. Burton LakeGeauga County, best early April · 35 checklists that week, 647 in all87%
  3. Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area (south)Wayne County, best early January · 48 checklists that week, 1,081 in all79%
  4. Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area (Big Hollow)Wayne County, best late April · 21 checklists that week, 322 in all79%
  5. Mosquito Creek Lake (Smith Run)Trumbull County, best late September · 27 checklists that week, 680 in all79%
  6. Funk Bottoms Wildlife AreaWayne County, best late September · 96 checklists that week, 2,649 in all75%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the Sandhill Crane is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (3.7% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (574) to judge1 am: too few checklists (609) to judge2 am: too few checklists (466) to judge3 am: too few checklists (478) to judge4 am: too few checklists (662) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4366) to judge6 am: 5.0% of 43093 checklists7 am: 3.4% of 142017 checklists8 am: 2.8% of 205296 checklists9 am: 2.7% of 196322 checklists10 am: 3.0% of 170882 checklists11 am: 3.0% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 2.8% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 2.9% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 2.8% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 2.7% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 2.9% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 3.0% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 3.5% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 3.3% of 37923 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (14954) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2710) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (854) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (486) 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
January1.8%1.4%1.4%1.2%
February1.7%1.4%1.6%3.3%
March3.8%4.0%3.6%3.3%
April3.1%3.7%3.4%3.2%
May5.4%6.7%4.9%2.7%
June1.6%1.2%1.2%1.1%
July1.6%1.7%1.9%2.2%
August2.4%2.9%2.7%3.0%
September3.0%2.3%2.5%2.5%
October3.1%3.2%3.3%2.8%
November2.7%2.0%1.9%2.1%
December2.0%1.8%1.8%1.9%

Neighboring states

  • Indiana: arrives the second week of February, 19 weeks earlier than Ohio
  • Michigan: arrives late February, 17 weeks earlier than Ohio
  • Kentucky: arrives the second week of November, 17 weeks later than Ohio
  • Illinois: arrives the second week of February, 19 weeks earlier than Ohio

Common questions

When do Sandhill Cranes arrive in Ohio?
Sandhill Cranes reach Ohio in early July, are common by mid July, peak in the second week of May (5.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.
When do Sandhill Cranes leave Ohio?
Most Sandhill Cranes have left Ohio by early June, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of June.
When is the best time to see a Sandhill Crane in Ohio?
The Sandhill Crane is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 5.8% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are Sandhill Cranes seen most often?
By county, Wyandot County, Wayne County, and Trumbull County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Sandhill Crane (counties with at least 200 checklists).