2025 Ohio Sandhill Crane Survey
Sandhill Crane image courtesy of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR)
My wife saw an ad for the annual Ohio Sandhill Crane Survey while pursuing the internet and thought I might be interested in it. Sandhill cranes are listed as a threatened species here in Ohio. The sandhill crane was extirpated from Ohio in the early twentieth century. In 1987 a breeding pair was discovered in Wayne County. The Ohio population has been slowly expanding since then. Last year, volunteers located 412 sandhill cranes across 32 counties.
A sandhill crane is a tall wading bird characterized by a long neck and bill. It is mostly gray in plumage with a red patch on its forehead. It speaks with a distinctive rolling bugle call. Ohio’s cranes are seasonal residents that migrate south for the winter and return in the spring to breed. During breeding season they are very secretive, hiding deep in wetlands and marshes. The cranes dine during daylight hours on grain, insects, birds, small mammals, amphibians, and reptiles. Sandhills migrate in large flocks, often composed of hundreds of birds. The Ohio birds tend to winter in Florida. The native range of Sandhills extends across the Atlantic to the Rockies; from Mexico and Florida north into Alaska and Canada, depending on the season.
The event was sponsored by the Division of Wildlife and the Ohio Bird Conservation Initiative. It relies on volunteers to count the numbers of sandhill cranes seen or heard in specific counties in Ohio. The 2025 crane count takes place in 33 counties.
I reached out the survey coordinator to see if they need help. All of the spots in central Ohio where I live were filled but they needed help up in Richland County. I had grown up in southern Richland County so I said yes. The unit they assigned me (survey block 49B6NW) was in the norther bucolic area of the county, just north of Mansfield surrounding the village of Olivesburg.
I woke up at 3:30 and forced myself to stay in bed till 4:00. A restless night of sleep. Just like the night before opening day of deer firearms season. I got out of bed quietly trying not to disturb my wife. My alarm was set for 4:30. I got dressed by the light of my phone’s flashlight. As I was looking for my wool quarter zip, Pandora unexpectedly started on my phone blaring music into the dark. Shit! Did I say I was trying not to wake my wife? I finished getting dressed, kissed my wife’s forehead as she sleepily said goodbye. I went to the kitchen and made some strong coffee and headed out the door.
I headed up I-71 to Richland County where my survey block is located. At the center of the block is the Village of Olivesburg. There are several streams and wetland in the area. My first stop was Daysprings Soccer Fields which is adjacent to the Daysprings Assisted Living and Care Center, the old county home for the elderly poor. From their webpage:
Richland County Commissioners purchased 160 acres to build the first county home in 1845 for the cost of $3,000. Additional land was purchased through the years and, at one time, the county home sat on 320 scenic country acres. Due to a land swap with the state, Dayspring now has 226 acres.
Dayspring was home to the paupers, infirm, disabled, and the insane of the county. Dayspring has been called by several names throughout the years such as The Infirmary, The Poor House, and Richland County Home. In 1995 the name was changed to Dayspring Assisted Living and Care Facility. Dayspring is an unlicensed facility with occupancy of 58 residents. The majority of rooms at Dayspring are private rooms. However, there are a few rooms that are double.
Today, Dayspring is a mix of non, partial, and full paying residents. In 2000, dayspring was approved as a VA Home. Residents from other counties are welcome at Dayspring but they must be a Richland County resident to receive subsidy from the County.
Dayspring is a recreational and community center to the community with nature trails, observation deck, picnic pavilion, soccer fields, and a conference room that is made available to the public for their use. Dayspring is a reflection of the pride and commitment Richland County has to continue to make a place for the disabled and elderly people that have nowhere else to live.
I got to the soccer fields at about 6:00 AM, a half hour before the survey was scheduled to begin. The coffee I had made was beginning to work on my digestive system. A couple of weeks ago my wife showed me a picture of a coffee mug she saw online. It had four lines indicating the level of coffee with a corresponding label; SHH…, ALMOST, NOW YOU CAN SPEAK, NEVERMIND, I HAVE TO GO POOP NOW. I had reached the fourth level. Luckily there were a couple of porta-johns at the park, although trying to do the porta-john hover in near darkness while trying to hold the door open with your foot is a bit of a challenge.
It was clear and cold. It started getting light at about twenty after six and the birds were waking. Their songs piercing the predawn light. I love being outdoors watching the world come alive as the night recedes. There were Cardinals, Robins, Sparrows of various types, Wrens and, Red winged Blackbirds.
Not hearing any Sandhill Crane calls I moved on to the next stop. The protocols for the survey were to head to likely spots and observe the calls and any cranes for five minutes or so and move on to the next spot. I did some digital scouting on OnX Hunts and Google Earth the week prior so I had several spots pinned for observation. They were: Dayspring Assisted Living Center/Dayspring Soccer Fields, Union Baseball fields, Weller Bee Supply, The Little Gnome Home, Old Franklin Church Wedding Center, the North Central Ohio Land Conservancy, Inc. lands, and the Olivesburg Berry Patch.
My second stop at the ballfields was uneventful. Lots of song birds and some geese in the distance. My third stop was Weller Bee Supply. Again, lots of song birds but no trace of cranes. As I was standing there I heard a heavy blowing sound. About 300 yards across the rolling pasture there were two deer watching me. They were down wind and my scent must have triggered the alarm blow but I was far enough away they didn’t sprint away. I watched them for a few minutes until they disappeared into the fence line. As I was watching an Eastern Wild Turkey greeted the day with a gobble in the distance. Time to move on. The next couple of stops were uneventful, including at a bridge over Brubaker Creek. I parked in the right of way as the land was posted and I didn’t want to even enter the field entrance. The only thing of note there was Pileated Woodpecker. I moved on after the allotted five minutes. Next stop the North Central Ohio Land Conservancy, Inc. lands. I had high hopes for this property.
At the conservancy lands I hiked a bit along an unnamed tributary to Brubaker Creek. I spent about fifteen minutes walking along the creek. There were tons of song birds and woodpeckers, including a Red-bellied Woodpecker and a Downy Woodpecker but no signs of the elusive Sandhills. I proceeded to my final planned stop. After which my plan was to try and scout any more likely creek bottoms that I came across.
As I was heading northeast along Mansfield-Adario Road I crossed a bridge over the Black Fork of the Mohican River. It seemed like a good spot to take a look. There were some ducks swimming downstream of the bridge. I pulled out my field glasses and took a look. It was a pair of Hooded Mergansers. A bit further down the road I passed a wooded wetland. This defiantly warranted a stop. I pulled into a field drive and got out. There was a Bald Eagle in a dead tree surveying the wetland looking for breakfast. It flew off before I could get a picture. It looked majestic soaring above the water, hunting for prey. There were several pairs of Canada Geese setting up house in the swamp. I counted four pairs from the roadway. This was my favorite spot and best shot for seeing the cranes, but they were not to be found.
I had time for one more stop before the survey ended. I quickly scanned google maps and saw a bridge crossing at SR 545 and the Black Fork just east of Whetone Creek. This was the least interesting stop. It was approaching 8:30 and most of the song birds had quieted down. No sign of the cranes. I headed back to the Olivesburg General Store to finalize and submit my report on eBird. Although I didn’t see any Sandhill Cranes I had an enjoyable morning outdoor bird watching. I got to experience many of the same sensations as when out hunting and got to see some beautiful country comprised of rolling hills covered in small farms, woodlots, and wetlands crisscrossed by creeks and a river.
