Though adult sandhill cranes have been regularly summering at Midewin since 2015, according to retired ornithologist Jim Herkert, this was the first confirmation of breeding there.
Wildlife technician Grace Budde was driving down a trail in Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie to check on some snake monitoring equipment when a sandhill crane flew 2 feet in front of her.
“Then I see this fuzzy little brown bird right along the trail, and I know immediately,” Budde said. “They have a very special coloration, they’re big, they have really long legs.”This was the first confirmed sandhill crane colt sighting at the Will County prairie in Wilmington since Midewin was established in 1996, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Wetland protection and restoration, as well as hunting regulation, has helped the species rebound in the upper Midwest, said Anne Lacy, senior manager of the North America Program at the International Crane Foundation.