Crossed fingers

I put a blind on the edge of a crane roosting site last week and had some good action the first night but not much the second night. It took about 20 minutes to walk a quarter mile through brush and knee deep water to place the blind so I thought I would leave the tent blind out and use again in a couple weeks, not anticipating the current storm. It is tied to a couple bushes so it may only be shredded. Every time a wind gust hits the windows here in southern Minnesota I can see the blind being whipped.
Dale

The last bright colors

The brilliant aspen, maples, and oaks have given way to the pastel colors of late autumn, only the bright tamarack colors remain. However, most people are looking for the brilliant red and flat gray of the sandhills at this time of year. Roads are congested with travelers from all over the world, the cranes are a major attraction for tourists and photographers. The best viewing is on Grettum Dike Road since more birds are on Fish Lake WMA this year than on Crex Meadows. This presents a great opportunity to see another wildlife area that is best known for its prairie wildflowers. If you get a chance drive Hickerson Road or Stolte Road.

Where are the cranes?

This October the cranes are really spread out and it's hard to find a consistent location, except the corn fields, to view and photograph them. They seem to move roost sites frequently. Flight photography is best on East Refuge Rd. as they fly in and out of the Refuge. Grettum has the highest numbers and either parking lot along 87 or near the lone oak along Grettum Rd. are good spots to get a few flight shots.

Flocks of ducks are starting to show up and I expect the crane numbers to dramatically increase over the next couple weeks. Corn harvest south of Grantsburg will give better viewing of flight paths to and from the Refuge. The dispersion of the flocks is good for the cranes but frustrating for us.
Dale