Sandhill cranes, fly past the viewing tower on their way to marshes at Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area on Monday. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources releases a count of migrating cranes each Tuesday; for Nov. 24, 2020 the agency reported 25,092. Staff photo by Don Knight
A Sandhill cranes flies past the viewing tower on their way to marshes at Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area on Monday. Staff photo by Don Knight
An hour before sunset, Sandhill cranes gather in Goose Pasture, about 200 yards from the parking lot for the observation tower. At sunrise the cranes fly out from their roost to surrounding fields to feed; at sunset many will gather in Goose Pasture before heading to their roost for the night. Staff photo by Don Knight
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MEDARYVILLE — Arriving an hour before sunset found about a dozen cars in the parking lot, several backed up to a fence — their tailgates open, facing Goose Pasture where sandhill cranes gather before roosting for the night in nearby marshes.
People lined the west fence of the parking lot, with binoculars and cameras in hand, where they found a small group of cranes about 200 yards west of the main parking lot, providing what turned out to be the closest birding enthusiasts would get to the cranes on this evening.
The Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area near Medaryville in northwest Indiana, about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Anderson, hosts the largest congregation of cranes east of the Mississippi.
“We’re at our highest so far this year, we’ve got 16,375 on our last count this past Tuesday,” said Nick Echterling, Jasper-Pulaski property manager.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources conducts a count each Tuesday that can be found on their website along with the numbers from the previous year.
The count on Nov. 24 was 25,092.
Numbers typically peak during the end of November and beginning of December.
“They’ve been staying around a little later but that’s weather dependent, if it gets cold and everything freezes up that can push them out,” said Echterling.
Large crowds have been turning out, especially on weekends with nice weather. A weekday visit is best if you want to avoid the crowds.
“Normally sunset is the best time, they congregate there in the pasture in front of the viewing tower before they go back to the marsh to roost, but you can see quite a few flying out in the morning as well,” said Echterling.
The cranes spend the day feeding in harvested farm fields nearby before returning in the evenings.
On this day, there was also a large number of deer and a group of wild turkeys in the pasture.
“We do have a few spotting scopes available on the tower, but we recommend you bring your own binoculars or spotting scope,” said Echterling.
“If the towers are full, or you feel you’re too close together for social distancing, there’s plenty of room to spread out on the ground as well along the fence, or even the main parking lot affords some pretty good views of the cranes.”
The main parking lot is connected to the observation tower by a trail to the north that winds through a small woods.
Next to the tower are portable toilets and a smaller parking lot designated for those with handicapped parking permits.
There’s a ramp leading up to the tower and two sections with a lower railing allowing someone from a wheelchair a view into the field.
“I think if you’ve never seen them before just the sheer size of the bird or their call is pretty unique. If it’s something you’ve never heard it’s kind of a trumpeting or described as like a bugle call,” said Echterling.
“I think those are the two things that really stand out for people that haven’t seen them.”
Several waves of cranes started arriving about 20 minutes before sunset, some settling into the pasture, others heading on to the marsh.
Through a telephoto lens, the sky over the marsh a mile northwest of the tower was dotted with thousands of cranes. The marsh is closed to visitors, allowing the cranes to rest.
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