Nebraska might be considered Sandhill crane central, but Wyoming is no slouch when it comes to attracting the lanky birds.
Thousands of them are pouring into Wyoming this time of year, along with a few of their rare cousins, whooping cranes.
Many of the sandhill cranes stay here to nest and raise their young over the summer. Others are just passing through, to points as far-flung as Siberia, Russia.
Whooping cranes remain threatened. And Sandhill cranes were once imperiled too, said Courtney Rudd, a migratory game bird and wetland biologist with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
Now, Sandhill cranes are doing much better, in two main populations – the Rocky Mountain (RMP) and Mid-Continent (MCP), she said.
According to 2024 population estimates, “the RMP has almost 25,000 birds, the MCP almost 444,000 birds. That’s much lower than the three-year total index average of about 820,000 birds,” she said.
However, Spring 2025 MCP counts in Nebraska are very high, indicating population estimates more in line with the aforementioned three-year average,” she added.
Crane Aficionado
In the late 1990s, Gayle Irwin lived near West Yellowstone, Montana and took a summer job as an educator with the International Crane Foundation.
She’s been hooked on cranes ever since. She lives in Casper, but this time of year spends a lot of time on a friend’s ranch near Kaycee, where Sandhill cranes are plentiful.
“I love watching their mating ritual and dancing, it’s so joyful,” she told Cowboy State Daily.
As to why cranes captured her imagination and have held it for so long, Irwin said it’s probably because she admires their tenacity.
“I look at them as a very persevering species. They’ve been around for thousands and thousands of years,” she said.
The crane migration peaks in March and early April, she said.
She added that Ocean Lake in Fremont County is a great place to go get an eyeful of cranes.
The Game and Fish Table Mountain wildlife habitat management area in Goshen County is another hot spot, Irwin said.
“The biggest bunch I ever saw in Wyoming was at Table Mountain, there must have been 500 of them.,” she said.
Sandhill cranes stand in a field near Deaver, Wyoming. (Wendy Corr, Cowboy State Daily) 
Sandhill cranes stand in a field near Deaver, Wyoming. (Wendy Corr, Cowboy State Daily) 
Sandhill cranes stand in a field near Kaycee, Wyoming. (Courtesy Gayle Irwin) 
A pair of Sandhill cranes hang out in the timber in Grand Teton National Park. (Courtesy Gayle Irwin) 
A Sandhill crane performs a mating dance near Kaycee, Wyoming. (Courtesy Gayle Irwin)
Declined And Bounced Back
Sandhill crane numbers crashed in the early 20th Century, Rudd said. That was mostly because of habitat loss, human disturbance and over-hunting.
There are some fall hunting seasons for Sandhill cranes, but whooping cranes may not be hunted.
Habitat preservation, managed hunting and other conservation efforts helped Sandhill cranes bounce back, Rudd said.
Why They’re Coming, And From Where
As with many birds, rising temperatures and longer days get cranes moving this time of year, Rudd said.
“Central and western Wyoming comprise a portion of the breeding range for the Rocky Mountain population. This time of year, RMP birds are arriving from wintering grounds in New Mexico, specifically the Middle Rio Grande Valley, but also from points in south-central Colorado, such as the Montrose and Delta areas,” Rudd said.
The Mid-Continent population doesn’t hang around Wyoming, she said. It usually passes through eastern Wyoming in late winter and early spring.
“That population migrates through to breeding grounds in Canada and Alaska, and Siberia, and makes a return journey south to wintering locations in the southwestern U.S., southern Great Plains, and even into northern Mexico,” she said.
When And Where To See Cranes
The migrating population passing through eastern Wyoming provide opportunities to see gobs of cranes, Rudd said.
“An early morning outing to Table Mountain (wildlife management area) should provide an opportunity to observe large numbers of cranes coming off of night roosts,” she said.
“Rocky Mountain birds arrive on Wyoming breeding grounds during early March in some locations and are more typically observed in pairs. Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge, Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks and Game and Fish, wildlife habitat management areas are all good locations to observe Rocky Mountain population birds. Agricultural areas, especially near wetlands, are also areas you might find a Rocky Mountain pair this time of year,” she said.
Cranes In The Timber
Irwin said cranes sometimes like to gobble farmers’ grain. And they’ll also eat amphibians near water sources.
Cranes usually hang out in riparian zones – areas of rich vegetation near water sources, she said.
But she’s seen them in some odd spots.
She recalled once seeing a pair of Sandhill cranes strutting around in the timber in Grand Teton National Park.
“They were right in there, amid the deadfall. I never expected to see cranes there,” she said. “They’ll go anywhere they can find food.”
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
