As we mentioned earlier this month, California's Sandhill Cranes have been starting to head north for some time. There are still significant numbers still around our Central Valley, but increasingly we're seeing them head up to breeding grounds further north. The eBird maps below show some of them starting to arrive at their breeding grounds in northeastern California, and others continuing their journey north to Canada and Alaska. Audubon California, both by itself and with our partners The Nature Conservancy and PRBO Conservation Sciece, have been working with a number of private landowners to help sustain critical habitat for the Sandhill Cranes in California. Now, as the birds head out, they'll be benefiting from the work of Audubon Alaska, and its work on habitat in the breeding grounds of Alaska. Here's video of the Sandhill Cranes near Lodi in January:

Check below the fold to see eBird maps showing the Sandhill Crane movements in recent weeks:

Here's an eBird map from February of this month, showing the distribution of birds in California and the greater western United States:

And now here's what things look like today. Notice the birds moving northward:

And then, here's a map from April of last year, which shows where the Sandhill Cranes are heading now:

(Photo by USFWS)