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ND Bird Photography

Whooping Crane

Cranes · Fall migration in September

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Painted illustration of a Whooping Crane
Illustration, not a field photographReal photos on All About Birds

Where and when to find this bird right now

Live observation

Recent North Dakota reports from eBird, closest first from Bismarck (the default starting point).

These are observations submitted by birders and are not reviewed before appearing here. A report is not a guarantee that the bird is still present, and a sighting location is not a public-access guarantee.

Recent sightings data from eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Sunrise, sunset and sun direction: calculated on your device from the location's coordinates.

Migration timeline

Seasonal expectation

S = spring window, F = fall window, B = both. Built from the month arrays in the source record; months are January (1) through December (12).

J
F
M
S
S
J
J
A
F
F
N
D
Spring window
mid-April to mid-May
Fall window
late September to October

Arrives, busiest, leaves

Seasonal expectation

Planning guidance from this bird's own seasonal record, not a live report. Weather shifts these dates every year, sometimes by a fortnight.

Spring passage mid-April to mid-May

  1. First arrivals: AprilThe earliest month the guide's records place this bird in North Dakota heading north. Early birds can be thin on the ground.
  2. Last of them: MayThe last month in the records for this spring passage. After it, birds have usually moved on.

Fall passage late September to October

  1. First arrivals: SeptemberThe earliest month the guide's records place this bird in North Dakota heading south. Early birds can be thin on the ground.
  2. Last of them: OctoberThe last month in the records for this fall passage. After it, birds have usually moved on.

Migration journey reference: National Audubon Society Bird Migration Explorer.

See the full journey on Audubon's Bird Migration Explorer

Corridor and staging areas

Aransas to Wood Buffalo flyway: central ND, curving northwest along the Missouri Coteau to the ND-Saskatchewan border (the 95% corridor covers about 64% of ND)

  • Stopover wetlands in central ND (Lostwood NWR area; Missouri Coteau potholes)
  • Opportunistic, no fixed staging; usually 1 to 3 birds, often with sandhill cranes

Photography tip

A rare, luck-based sighting. Five feet tall, white with black wingtips, neck extended in flight (pelicans tuck their necks; don't confuse). Do not disturb; report date, time, location, activity, and leg bands to USFWS Lostwood (701-848-2466), Long Lake (701-387-4397), or ND Game and Fish (701-328-6300).

Rare and federally protected

Whooping cranes are endangered. Observe from a long distance, never approach, follow, or attempt to relocate a bird, and never share precise locations beyond the reporting contacts in the record above.

Wildlife safeguards

Never approach nests, nesting islands, roosts, leks, or sensitive colonies. Keep to established routes and observation points, respect closures and posted signs, and back off at the first sign that a bird is reacting to you.

Public places linked to this bird (2)

Live observation

Each place shows what eBird received within 10 miles of that place in the last 7 days. Reports further away belong to somewhere else and are never counted here.

Recent sightings data from eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Recent eBird reports

Recent sightings data from eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Open eBird North Dakota

Historical photo evidence (4)

These are historical public posts collected as supporting evidence. They are not live sightings and do not guarantee current bird activity. Photos are not copied here — each entry links to the original post.

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