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A day in the life of a craniac

Life of a Craniac: Back in the Field After Lockdown

For Bradley Gibbons, EWT’s Highlands Grassland Field Officer, the life of a craniac resumed with great excitement in June as lockdown restrictions eased. His first priority? Completing the fixed monitoring routes that provide crucial data on crane populations across Mpumalanga and the Free State – a task that had been paused for two months due to COVID-19 regulations.

Crane Encounters Across the Grasslands

The return to fieldwork brought rewarding sightings:
Wakkerstroom, Mpumalanga:

  • A vibrant flock of 8 Blue Cranes

  • 2 Grey Crowned Cranes performing their iconic dance near a dam

Free State Routes:

  • Typical seasonal numbers of Blue Cranes, with pairs holding territories

  • A mixed flock of 10 Blue Cranes and 10 Grey Crowned Cranes

  • 9 Blue Cranes heading to a likely roosting dam at dusk

“Seeing those first cranes after lockdown felt like reconnecting with old friends,” shares Gibbons. “Their world hadn’t changed – the grasslands kept providing, and farming continued – but I’d missed being part of it.”

Why Monitoring Matters

These bimonthly routes help conservationists:

  • Track population trends
  • Identify important roosting and feeding sites
  • Maintain relationships with farming communities
  • Gather data to inform protection strategies

While the life of a craniac involves meticulous data collection, moments like witnessing crane dances or flocks returning to roost remind field officers why their work is so vital. As Gibbons notes, “For the cranes, it was business as usual. For me, it was a powerful reminder of nature’s resilience – and our role in safeguarding it.”