Sandhill crane migration stunning

Story & Photos By Stan Wawer

The dark, cold early morning silence was interrupted by the gargling sound of thousands of sandhill cranes. The snow from a mid-March storm the night before crunched under my feet as I followed the path to a photographer’s blind. The closer I got to the blind, the louder the noise.

I knew from the moment I boarded my flight to Kearney, Nebraska this was going to be something special. I had come to Kearney to witness the migration of the sandhill crane, which has been doing this migratory thing since the age of the dinosaurs. I hunkered down in the blind on the banks of the Platte River waiting anxiously for the sun to rise.

It was 27 degrees in the blind but the anticipation of what I was about to witness kept me warm. All I could see from the blind at 6:30 a.m. was this eerie shadow that stretched seemingly forever along the shore of the Platte. As the sun began to peek over the horizon, the shadows became more distinctive. Every available sandbar was overloaded with sandhill cranes.

The sight of the cranes taking off at sunrise is impressive — a few, then an entire sandbar, then several sandbars as thousands and thousands of cranes rise in waves until they fill the sky. They make parachute landings in the cornfields where they spend the day fueling up for their migration north and in turn helping the farmers by feeding on the dead corn. Shortly after the cranes leave, the farmers plow their fields and get ready for planting in May. When they finally head north they will ride the thermals and go about 350 miles a day. I think that’s how the old joke started — “I just flew in from Kearney and boy are my arms tired!”

Between 600,000 and 700,000 sandhill cranes spend about six weeks in this region prior to making their migratory trek to Canada, Alaska and Siberia.

They start arriving in Kearney near the end of February or the first week of March. The first to arrive are the first to leave. The crane migration north is the largest migration in the world, according to a Rowe Sanctuary & The Iain Nicolson Audubon Center volunteer.

Cranes mate for life. Males pick a partner in the winter before they turn 3. The youngsters tag along on the first trip to learn the migration route. Adult sandhill cranes are distinguishable by their red cap.

The sandhill crane migration means about $10 million to the local economy. Photo blinds go for $25 to $150. The $150 blind is an all-nighter. Maximum capacity is two people and each blind is equipped with small porta-potties. I spent my second morning in a cornfield blind with a guide and another photographer. The cranes mostly come from New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma.

Cranes are omnivores, eating both meat and plants. Their diet is made up of around 80 percent waste corn and 20 percent insects, mice, snakes, frogs and plants. They eat about 1,600 tons of waste corn. The life span of a crane is 25 years or more and as long as 34 years in captivity. The lesser crane averages about 41 inches in height with a wingspan of 73 inches. The great sandhill is about 46 inches, with a 77-inch wingspan. They fly 30 to 50 mph. Some fly more than 10,000 miles annually at altitudes of 3,000 to 5,000 feet. Most of the cranes on the Platte River are lesser cranes. They roost and sleep on sandbars covered with shallow water and surrounded by deeper water, which acts as an alarm from predators. The main predator is the bald eagle. Second is the coyote.

Sandhill cranes pass through the Nebraska Platte River Valley heading northward every year during the annual spring and fall migrations. They migrate through an 80-mile-wide “flyway” stretch along the Platte River from near Grand Island to west of Kearney. It is estimated that about 80 percent of the world's population of sandhill cranes do an annual migration layover in this area of the Platte River. The Platte Valley area has great habitat for many types of birds, including bald eagles.

The spring migration usually begins on the Platte River in late February, peaks in mid March, and has a mass exodus in mid April. The fall migration covers a longer period — September through December, peaking between late October and early November — but they don’t hang around like they do in the spring. The stays are mostly overnight on the Platte River as the cranes head south to warmer weather.

For more information, go to the Rowe Sanctuary Website at www.rowesanctuary.org.

Kearney is on the north bank of the Platte River in central Nebraska. It is 1,733 miles from San Francisco and 1,733 miles from Boston. It runs along Highway 30 (the Old Lincoln Highway) and is five hours to Denver.

If you go

United Airlines flies from Ontario to Denver. Transfer to Kearney by twin-engine aircraft.

Lodging

Kearney has numerous hotels and motels. I stayed at the Best Western Inn and Suites (308-234-2541). Breakfast and wireless Internet included. Fitness center and pool.

What to wear

It’s cold in the early morning in March. Wear the warmest clothing you have, including thermal underwear. Wear the warmest shoes or boots. I wore my hiking boots with thermal socks. Warm mittens or gloves. If you are taking pictures (and that’s pretty much a must) wear gloves. No flash photography, flashlights or cell phones. Bring a video camera if you want to capture all the sights and sounds.

Other sights around Kearney

The Great Platte River Road Archway, which spans 1-80. This place is fantastic. See the trials and triumphs of the trappers, pioneers, 49ers and Pony Express that passed through this area on their way West (www.archway.org).

Fort Kearny, named for Col. Stephen Watts Kearny, was built in 1848 to protect those journeying west along the Oregon Trail.

There is also the Museum of Nebraska Art, the Nebraska Firefighters Museum and Education Center and the Trails and Rails Museum.

All information is accurate at the time of publication but prices, dates and other details are all subject to change. Confirm all information before making any travel arrangements.