The welcome sign is out for Sandhill cranes in central Nebraska and the great migration is underway.
Audubon Rowe Sanctuary Director of Conservation, Andrew Pierson, says the mid-continental Sandhill cranes are heading north to their summer breeding grounds up north. "We know that there's somewhere in the neighborhood of 600,000 cranes in that group, all of which sort of funnel through this narrow corridor in Nebraska. There are never that many here at once, you know, based on counts that some of our conservation partners do usually numbers of cranes peaks somewhere in the 250 to 300,000 birds here at one time."
Pierson says the birds selected central Nebraska, like the Rowe Sanctuary in Gibbon, for good reason. "They're finding the right types of habitat for roosting and staying safe on the river at night. They're also finding an abundant food source in waste grain."
The migration started in mid-February and will continue through mid-April, Pierson says, with March typically drawing the most tourists. "The migration of Sandhill cranes through the central part of our country is the largest assemblage of cranes in the world. It's sort of one of the last great migrations that exists in the Western Hemisphere. It's a phenomenon you don't have to be a bird-er to enjoy. So it's something I think should be on everyone's bucket list."
Pierson says Nebraska has been part of the crane's path for generations. "There is fossil evidence that we've had cranes coming through central Nebraska for potentially millions of years, pre-dating the Platte River even. In modern times, the Platte River has been an important stop-over site for a lot of years."
Central Nebraska plays host to visitors from all 50 states and from about 50 countries each year. Along with Sandhill cranes there are plenty of geese, ducks, bald eagles, trumpeter swans and even a few whooping cranes to view.
(Photo courtesy of the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission)