Visitors throng to the area to see the annual migration of a half million birds.
I’m a full-fledged “craniac” now that I’ve spent four days awestruck at one of Earth’s most epic animal migrations — on, of all places, the wind-whistling prairies of central Nebraska.
Sandhill cranes are social with each other and entertaining to watch at roosting sites in Nebraska’s Platte River Valley. The sun rises over the Platte River at the Crane Trust, where thousands of sandhill cranes roost on their migratory journey up north. A gravel pullout on a two-lane road gives spectators a chance to watch sandhill cranes foraging in Nebraska cornfields during daytime hours. First, a little of the big birds’ background, before I divulge stringent “crane etiquette” and how to secretly spy on them with guides in viewing blinds and the great outdoors.
Several years ago, Chad, a colorful friendly character, started bringing tourists to this crane-ogling position on his property . Chad is an avid duck hunter but, go figure, he swoons over sandhill cranes. I’d come to the Platte River Valley in mid-March — usually the peak time for crane numbers — and this sunset would be my first-ever crane show.
The next evening, I crane-gawked in the Crane Trust’s heated VIP observation blind that was nicely supplied with red and white wine. A nonprofit conservation group, the 45-year-old trust focuses on restoring and protecting the cranes’ habitat and offers a host of public programs.
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