The Greater Sandhill Crane is a subspecies of Sandhill Crane, the world's oldest living bird species. Greater Sandhills stand four to five feet tall with a wing span of six to seven feet. Baker Sanctuary is a nesting area and migratory staging area for Michigan's largest bird. During autumn migration, hundreds to thousands of cranes and waterfowl congregate in the sanctuary in Big Marsh Lake. For millennia cranes have massed in migration in response to the rhythm of the seasons that transcends the ages.
Cranes gather each evening in shallow, secluded marshes during migration.
Their days are spent in smaller groups feeding on a wide variety of plants and animals, including crayfish, worms, mice, acorns, frogs, snakes and waste grains gleaned from harvested fields. The best time to view cranes at Baker Sanctuary is during migration from September to early November, climaxing in late October. During early morning and late afternoon cranes can be heard and seen from almost anywhere in the sanctuary. Observers are treated to a timeless spectacle as flights of returning sandhills pass overhead. Their plumage and red forehead patch can be seen softly glowing in the late afternoon sunshine as they circle the marsh before gliding to earth like parachutists in their distinctive landing behavior.