Barnesville’s Population Temporarily Up by One!

(Facebook photo)

By Bruce Yarnall, Barnesville Area News

A sandhill crane has taken up residence, at least temporarily, in the village of Barnesville. According to several social media posts in recent weeks, the bird has been seen on several streets in the village.

The sandhill crane population in Ohio appears to be increasing.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Ohio Bird Conservation Initiative in connection with the Midwest Crane Count, staged a crane count in 33 Ohio counties last Saturday, April 12. The coordinated count took place between 6:30-8:30 am.

The nearest counties included in the count were Columbiana and Tuscarawas.

These counties have habitats where sandhill cranes typically nest such as wet meadows, shallow marshes, bogs and other wetlands.    

The Sandhill Crane as listed as threatened in Ohio, the Ohio Bird Conservation Initiative website notes.

And while results of the 2025 count are not yet available, there were 412 sandhill cranes counted last year, up from 357 in 2023.

Sandhill cranes are one of the oldest living bird species, dating back as far as 2.5 million years. They have long legs, necks and bills, and they typically range from 34 to 38 inches in height and 6 to 7 feet in wingspan.

“The plumage of the adult sandhill crane is gray with a bald red skin patch on its forehead,” according to the Ohio Department of Resources. “Their eyes are yellow and their bill, legs and feet are blackish. Immature sandhill cranes have a gray body with a brownish head and they lack the red skin patch.”