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33 cranes at Phyllis Haehnle Memorial Sanctuary, October 5, 2026

Sandhill Cranes in Michigan: Where and When to See Them

2 viewing sites, the months their managers name, the published counts, and today’s sunrise and sunset at each.

Oct to Nov
Months at the sites
as the site managers print them
2
Viewing sites
2 on the map
33
Latest count
Phyllis Haehnle Memorial Sanctuary, Jackson Audubon Society survey, October 5, 2026
1,091
Reports, last 12 months
iNaturalist research grade
Fall staging, passing through and breeding

How sandhill cranes use Michigan

Individual cranes, small flocks and family groups start to gather in late September and early October on “staging areas” – wetlands where they roost together overnight as they prepare to migrate. The flocks on these staging areas grow and grow through October and peak late in the month
Michigan DNR, read October 8, 2026. Read it at the source
Migration of large flocks starts in southern Michigan in October and lasts until late November.
Michigan Audubon, read October 8, 2026. Read it at the source
Where to go

2 places to see sandhill cranes in Michigan

Phyllis Haehnle Memorial Sanctuary

Michigan Audubon (maintained by the Haehnle Sanctuary Committee, Jackson Audubon Society), sanctuary, Jackson

Cranes Oct to Nov
At 1,008 acres, it is known to attract thousands of migrating Sandhill Cranes every fall.
Michigan Audubon (maintained by the Haehnle Sanctuary Committee, Jackson Audubon Society), read October 8, 2026. Read it at the source
When
“Peak season to view Sandhill Cranes is late October to mid-November the hour before sunset.”
Where to stand
“Benches on a hill overlooking Mud Lake Marsh provide an ideal location for viewing large numbers of cranes in October and early November. A restored wetland and grassland demonstration area at the west side of the sanctuary is accessed from Wooster Rd. Public access to the marsh is restricted.”
Time of day
“Peak season to view Sandhill Cranes is late October to mid-November the hour before sunset. This is when thousands of cranes can be seen entering the marsh area to roost for the evening.”

October 8, 2026 at this site, EDT

Sunrise
7:42 AM
Sunset
7:06 PM

The latest Jackson Audubon Society count at Phyllis Haehnle Memorial Sanctuary: 33 on October 5, 2026. The last completed season peaked at 3,455 on November 24, 2025. Across 19 seasons the peak usually falls around November 16.

2007: 3,885 on November 19, 20073.9k2008: 280 on September 8, 200828020082009: 466 on November 16, 20094662010: 5,523 on November 22, 20105.5k20102011: 362 on October 24, 20113622012: 8,177 on November 19, 20128.2k2012Nov 192013: 714 on October 28, 20137142014: 104 on October 6, 201410420142015: 2,516 on October 26, 20152.5k2016: 151 on October 3, 201615120162017: 495 on October 2, 20174952018: 903 on October 22, 201890320182019: 487 on October 21, 20194872020: 1,681 on November 23, 20201.7k20202021: 18 on November 29, 2021182022: 3,331 on November 21, 20223.3k20222023: 531 on November 20, 20235312024: 1,866 on November 25, 20241.9k20242025: 3,455 on November 24, 20253.5k2026: 33 on October 5, 2026, so far332026so far
The highest published count in each season, with the day it was made (dated here for the highest and the latest season). The pale bar is the season under way, counted so far.

For 2007 to 2023 the published table numbers the weeks rather than dating them; those counts are shown on the Monday of each week.

Michigan Audubon (maintained by the Haehnle Sanctuary Committee, Jackson Audubon Society), read October 8, 2026

Bernard W. Baker Sanctuary and Kiwanis Youth Conservation Area (Big Marsh Lake)

Michigan Audubon (Baker Sanctuary); Kiwanis Club of Battle Creek (Kiwanis Youth Conservation Area), sanctuary, Bellevue

Cranes Oct to Nov
The staging area on Michigan Audubon Society’s Baker Sanctuary near Bellevue can draw in 10,000 cranes some years
Michigan Audubon (Baker Sanctuary); Kiwanis Club of Battle Creek (Kiwanis Youth Conservation Area), read October 8, 2026. Read it at the source
When
“Migration of large flocks starts in southern Michigan in October and lasts until late November.”
Where to stand
“As dusk approaches, head to the viewing areas along the lakeshore to witness thousands of migrating Sandhill Cranes gather and touch down into Big Marsh Lake. A pavilion and restrooms are available, but be prepared for changing Michigan weather.”
Time of day
“the “fly-in” of hundreds and sometimes thousands of Sandhill Crane, typically begins slowly throughout the afternoon with the best viewing of cranes between 5 p.m. and dusk.”
Counted
“In 2025, 889 Sandhill Cranes were counted by dedicated volunteers and Michigan Audubon staff.” Source
Festival
CraneFest XXXI, October 10 to 11, 2026. Organizer’s page

October 8, 2026 at this site, EDT

Sunrise
7:45 AM
Sunset
7:09 PM

Michigan Audubon (Baker Sanctuary); Kiwanis Club of Battle Creek (Kiwanis Youth Conservation Area), read October 8, 2026

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On the map

Michigan crane sites by month

Style
Layers

2 of the 2 mapped sites name October. A pin is colored only when the refuge or agency that runs it prints that month. The shaded grid is where people have logged a verified sandhill crane on iNaturalist in October, in any year, brighter where more have been logged; it maps reports, so it thickens where observers stand.

Festivals

Sandhill crane festival in Michigan

  • October 10 to 11, 2026

    CraneFest XXXI

    Bernard W. Baker Sanctuary and Kiwanis Youth Conservation Area (Big Marsh Lake)

    As the organizer prints it: “October 10 & 11, 2026 | Bellevue, MI”

Through the year

When people report sandhill cranes in Michigan

More reports come in May than in any other month. The tally runs from October 8, 2025 for the twelve month figure; the bars combine every year on record.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
5,473 research grade records from Michigan, every year combined, by the month they were made. Most are logged in May. A record is a person’s photograph confirmed by others, so the bars count sightings rather than birds.

1,091 research grade sandhill crane reports from Michigan in the twelve months to October 8, 2026.

Reading the last thirty days of reports from iNaturalist.

Michigan sandhill crane questions

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Sandhill cranes in other states

Sandhill cranes in every stateThe map of where the cranes are this month, the gatherings and the festivals.Fall migration in MichiganThe geese, swans and cranes staging this fall, site by site.Snowy owls in MichiganWhere the winter owls are reported in the state.Duck migration reportThe waterfowl counts the refuges publish each week.
About seventy grey sandhill cranes standing in shallow open water and on a strip of tan grass in front of a green tree line
Cranes standing in shallow water in October, the habitat every site on these pages shares. The water keeps them safe overnight; the harvested fields around it feed them through the day. “Flock of wading sandhill cranes”, USFWS Pacific Southwest Region, Public domain

Every fact about Michigan’s cranes links to the refuge, agency or festival page it comes from, each read October 8, 2026. Tour loops, platforms and festival programs change between seasons and close for weather and work, so check the site’s own page before you drive. Sunrise and sunset are computed for each site’s coordinates. Report tallies are iNaturalist research grade records, which count sightings, not birds. Every state is on the sandhill crane migration hub.