This loss of aggressive behavior enables pairs to benefit from the advantages of migrating and wintering in flocks. At fall staging areas Sandhills provide excellent bird-watching opportunities. Staging areas are wetlands usually within a day's flight of nesting marshes that offer food, social interactions and protection prior to migration. Some of the smaller staging areas may attract a dozen or so birds. Baker Sanctuary attracts about 2,000 - 4,000 Sandhills as does Phyllis Haehnle Memorial Sanctuary in Jackson County.
Cranes spend the night roosting in shallow open water areas.
Early in the morning, they fly out to feed and loaf in agricultural fields, returning late in the afternoon to roost. The sight of several hundred cranes flying low overhead, uttering their prehistoric calls as they wing their way back to roost, is one of the most aesthetic in all nature. Although Sandhill Cranes are known to nest in over 50 counties in Michigan, they are secretive during the breeding season. The best viewing is in autumn at the larger and more accessible staging areas. The best time of day to see cranes is early morning and late afternoon.