A month in the life of California’s nesting cranes, from summer fields at Modoc National Wildlife Refuge to their Winter home in the Central Valley.
Photos & Article by Lauris Phillips
A Refuge Rearing Ground
Modoc National Wildlife Refuge near Alturas, California, serves as one of the southernmost nesting sanctuaries for Greater Sandhill Cranes. Since late summer, young cranes, known as colts, have been flying with their families from nesting territories to wetlands and grain fields on and adjacent to the refuge. Here, they forage and socialize with other local Greater Sandhill Cranes.
Learning to Be a Crane
To build muscle for fall migration, the colts engage in play-fighting and dancing in the fields while learning vital social behaviors from the adults. When evening approaches, families fly back to their nesting territories to roost safely for the night.
Almost Grown by Mid-September
By mid-September, the colts are three to four months old and have grown as large as their parents. Their feathers feature distinctive golden edges, and their bills are in transition from yellow to black. However, they will not develop the characteristic red crown on their heads for a few months.
The Journey South Begins
Migration begins around the end of September and into October for the Greater Sandhills. During this time, Lesser Sandhill Cranes arrive from north of the Canadian border and often rest or stage in the fields with the Greater Sandhills before continuing their journey. As the ground warms and creates afternoon thermals, cranes depart the refuge in large flocks or family groups on their way south to the Central Valley, where they will stay until mid-February next year.
Look Down: Reading a Crane’s Legbands
CITIZEN SCIENCE ACTION ITEM
When crane-watching this winter, look closely for bright bands on the legs of the Greater Sandhills. The Modoc Refuge has been banding colts hatched on the refuge since Gary Ivy started the program in 1986. The bands consist of a metal Federal band, three colored bands, and a tall red band with a white P and three numerals, such as P401. Anyone can become a citizen scientist by reporting these red band numbers to the National Bird-banding Lab at reportband.gov.
Lauris Phillips. A lifelong birder and artist. She has volunteered at the Modoc
National Wildlife Refuge since 2016 where she has put in hundreds of hours
observing, photographing and banding cranes. In 2019, Lauris was the Lodi
Crane Festival Artist and in 2025 she received both the People’s Choice
award and 2nd place at the Lodi Crane Festival art show for her paintings of
cranes. Look for her upcoming workshop “Paint a Crane with Sumi Ink!” at
this year’s festival.
