First, you’ll hear it before you see it.
The ancient call of a single crane can trumpet out for miles. And when they all cry out at once the sound multiplies by the tens or hundreds of thousands.
Each spring, around half a million Sandhill Cranes descend upon a small stretch of the Platte River in Nebraska on their way north to Canada, Alaska and Siberia, from their winter homes in Mexico and the Southwest. Starting around mid February through the first half of April, they rest here to prepare for nesting up north.
The Sandhill Crane migration has been an event we have wanted to see for a few years. As we have traveled across I-80 and noticed the billboards around Kearney, Nebraska highlighting the Crane Festival.
We had originally planned to make this trip a week earlier but the weather looked rainy. So we postponed for a week as the forecast was improving.
We loaded up the camper and headed east on I-80. We planned on camping at Ft. Kearney State Recreation Area. Since we will be here this summer for the Solar Eclipse, we purchased an annual vehicle pass. Camping with electricity is $20 a night, as the shower rooms are up and running, other wise the camping fee would be less. Arriving on a Thursday there are only about three campers in the whole camp ground.
We chose this location as there is a bike/hiking path to a bridge over the Platte River. Yes, it is a nice location for this reason.
Saturday 4/1/2017, the weather forecast is for rain most of the day, so inside activities are being planned.
We started with a nice inside breakfast of french toast and sausage. We then took showers to test out the campers new shower head. The new one seems to give more pressure and is supposed to use less water. We both think it worked rather well. Then we got The Boys for a good walk and loaded them up and headed to Cabelas to see if we could find some nice binoculars to stay in the camper. We did find a reasonable pair along with a bigger flashlight and some dog treats.
Next we made our way to the Museum of Nebraska Art, where there is an exhibit off The Photo Ark, by Joel Sartore. Having seen some of these photos in Nat Geo, I can not explain how much more captivating the images are full size and in person. If you get a chance, do a google search of “The Photo Ark” to learn more.
We went all out and had lunch at Arby’s, as we had a coupon :). One way you know you are old, lol.
Back to the camper for a break and yet the rain has not started. Then a walk with The Boys, Lynn started out and I joined her later.
Thus far we have seen a few birds, Wild Turkeys, Flickers, Red Headed Woodpeckers, Robins, Starlings, Snow Geese, doves and a Cardinal.
We are enjoying this trip and the camping experience. Due to the crazy weather, we have not done any out door cooking.
One day we spent a few hours at the Fort Kearney Historical site. This site is a wealth of western expansion history, from the fur trade, to the Oregon Trail, the Pony Express and Indian Wars, the railroad, and more.
The visitors center does a really good job of interpretation both the history as well as the natural offerings this area has to offer. Well worth a stop and the video on bird migration is excellent.
During our visit, we learned this year the crane count was 600,000 and they stayed longer than usual due to the wet weather.
We have met several nice folks from all over. There was a couple from Minnesota who have been coming here for a few years. I asked them if they had ever done one of the blinds. They had and told us the viewing was just as good from the foot bridge. We also met two couples from China, we had a nice conversation about The Boys, their country and Cranes. Today we met a couple heading to Alaska for the second time and got some good tips from them.
Also today the weather turned warm and we learned the cranes will start to leave as the weather warms and the wind comes out of the South. When one sees the cranes grouping and riding thermals to altitude they will be leaving this area. On their journey North, they will fly at 35 MPH and cover 200-400 miles per day.
On a very foggy Monday morning we were up and out to the Bridge. Our visibility was very limited, to about 150-200 yards at the best. We could hear the cranes and see a few fly over. There were only 5 of us out on the bridge this morning. One gentleman was the owner of a cabin on the North side of the river. We had a nice chat and he told me the rail bridge was part of a spur to help transport gravel and the ponds here at Ft. Kearney State Recreation area were a result of the gravel mining. When the gravel was being mined up to 100 rail cars a day traveled these rail. So what was all this gravel used for.
THE REST OF THE STORY:
During WWII the US Navy knew they would be fighting a war in the Pacific and the Atlantic and needed an ammunition depot to service both fronts. The location should be safe from any possible enemy bombing and Hastings Nebraska was chosen. The gravel was supplied from gravel all over the area around the Ft. Kearney Recreation Area. The six ponds here at the recreation area were a result of this mining.
On our last evening we went to the Bridge and experienced a nice sunset, still lots of Cranes flying overhead. This evening we did see several Bald Eagles, one was bringing home a nice catfish for dinner. While walking back to the campground we saw three deer. Oh, and earlier we did spot some turkeys in the distance, finally spotting the Tom.
The final morning here was somewhat uneventful, we did see one of the Long Eared Owls and a group of about 10-15 White Tail Deer. The Cranes started to lift off right about 0700 and the numbers are less than 5 days ago.
We will get things together for the drive home after another cup of coffee.
Final note on this trip. One should experience this at sometime, as it is well worth the effort to see this migration. Yes, even the non birder would enjoy.
Will have more pictures available by following the link below. I hope to have them there by 4/12.
