The Great Crane Migration - Sandhill Cranes in Nebraska

 I had this trip to Nebraska planned for several months, and I was really looking forward to it after being cooped up all winter. I think cranes first entered my consciousness after I spent a couple hours at the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, Wisconsin on a road trip to Cleveland. And then a friend mentioned the Sandhill crane migration that goes through the Platte River region in Nebraska in March/April. It sounded amazing. I just needed to start planning; the weather in this region in March can be horribly unpredictable, would I run into a snowstorm or would it be dry and blue skies? Turns out it was a little of both. Just a few days before I started out, there was a major snowstorm in Nebraska, which made me nervous, but I had great weather. 

There are a few different ways to see the cranes and probably the best way is to connect with one of the conservancy groups that does educational work on the cranes and the diverse wildlife on the Platte River. They offer spots in their blinds for a pretty reasonable cost. I booked two sessions with the Iain Nicholson Audobon Center at Rowe Sanctuary, one in the early morning and one in the early evening. I also found a bus tour that meets up at different spots in Nebraska, drives to Kearney and makes stops along the way. I just didn't like the idea of doing this activity with 20-30 people when I could easily do this on my own, but it's nice to know that it's an option. You can also drive along the river and pull into parking lots that have views of the river and potential landing spots, and as you drive around Kearney and Gibbon, you can see the cranes in the fields, filling up for their long flight back to their northern homes.

When you get to the Center at 5:30 am or so, it is pitch dark, you can see the stars so clearly without the light pollution you get in the city, and they don't have regular lighting, they use red lights which don't impact the birds, and as you walk out to the blind, you rely on little red flashlights to sort of light the way. They don't have paved paths to the blinds, but I think they can provide limited accommodation if there are mobility issues. It can also be really, really cold. Remember, it is March in Nebraska, and it can be a damp cold that goes right through you. I had multiple layers on and was pretty comfortable. 

We got to the blind, no phones or cameras, no talking. I strained my eyes to see the thousands of birds in front of us, slowly waking up, making their calls to one another. We were told there were over 600,000 birds in the region, which is such an unfathomable number. As we watched and waited, there was this cacophony coming from the east, flapping, calling, thousands of wings flapping and landing in front of us. Unfortunately, they flew away shortly after that, apparently something spooked them, that was the consensus of veteran craniacs (their name, not mine). You are limited to when you can photographs, which kind of makes you really engage in the experience, so I didn't get any great pictures, and I don't have a fancy enough camera that I could get cool close ups, so you'll have to trust me, it was amazing.

After daybreak

In the fields

The time in the blinds is usually 6-9, but once they were spooked, the cranes weren't really going to return to our vantage point for another 12 hours. After the sanctuary, I drove around a little to see what I could see. I am not a birder, or twitcher (I think they're called in England), so I do get bored easily, and I was tired from my drive the day before, so I went back to the hotel for a rest before my nighttime excursion. 

I was really excited to see the cranes return to the river for the night, and the weather promised an amazing sunset. We went out to the blind, the same one from this morning, and I picked my spot. We waited and watched as a few birds would fly over, calling out, then more, and they went to a field beyond the river. Apparently, they all meet in a field before they gather up and fly to their sleeping spot for the night. I watched as it got closer to 7, and the number of birds increased, and more and more started to arrive, it was crazy. The sound is incredible. I was taking as many photos and videos as possible before we had to stop due to it getting darker. Watching them swooping in, then filling up the empty spaces on the river, was so cool. 

This was definitely a worthwhile trip. I think my only regret is I really rushed, and I think I would add a few days, maybe drive around the area a little bit more, and maybe even drive into Colorado or up to Wyoming. Would I go back? Possibly as part of a longer road trip. But I would really recommend it to people. This is one of the greatest animal migrations, and the only (?) one in North America.