CRANE MIGRATION RADAR
We’re truly thrilled by how many of you are using the Crane Migration Radar – your excitement grows every year, and it means the world to us. Just so you know, the Crane Radar is built with passion by a small but dedicated team of volunteers. If you love using it and want to see it grow, please consider donating. Your support keeps it running and helps us make it even better. Every bit helps – thank you!
Track the cranes’ migration in real-time.
Track the cranes’ journey and see where they might be spotted in the next few hours.
Every autumn, cranes migrate from cold Scandinavia to warmer regions in France and Spain, returning in spring. The best viewing periods are October until November and February until March.
Crane positions are updated every five minutes. Click the binocular icon for details and zoom in for more precise estimates.
No cranes on the radar? That means none have been spotted over the Netherlands (yet). Check back soon!
CREDITS
The Crane Migration Radar is part of Nature FIRST, a Research and Innovation Action (RIA) from HORIZON-CL6-2021-BIODIV-01-02 Call (grant Agreement ID 101060954) that has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation programme.
The Crane Migration Radar is an initiative of:
Ass. Prof. Koen de Koning, Wageningen University & Research
How it works.
Thousands of birders in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany use Waarneming.nl to record crane sightings. We have developed a model that combines these observations with current weather data, over 20,000 historic sightings, and our knowledge of the species’ biology and ecology. This creates a real-time radar showing current crane sightings and their expected migration routes.