Tero
Retired
Sandhill Cranes, April 2, 2004
I guess this was my first trip, where birding was the main agenda for a day. I usually just take an hour or two on regular family vacations or scouting week-ends.
You can organize your crane viewing either from the Kearney end or Grand Island end of the section of the Platte River that the birds roost in. After Apr 15 you may not see many birds, but it may still be worth pulling off the Interstate in this area around sunset, to see if there are any. Before sunset, you only need to drive mile up any of the side roads, and you can see them in the corn fields. In some spots you can even see them off the Interstate.
We had a good rate in a motel in Grand Island, so we chose Crane Meadows Nature Center near it for our crane experience. It was $20 per person to go to the blinds, and kids have to be 10 or over. That was 5-8PM and there was also a bridge where you can stand and view. The crowd at this place was gray haired, most of the retirees. Very close by, nearly across the road was a public viewing platform, for free. Some locals on motorcycles were having a beer and waiting for cranes there. Some 5 AM viewing is also available. I think the area has some camping, not sure if near the river.
The other organized blinds and a trolley tour were centered around Kearney, such as at the Rowe Sanctuary.
We got there early and viewed cranes in fields on the way there. Most places they stay some 100m from the road. A few pairs were dancing in the fields. I presume these are the newlywed couples. A few hops should be enough for old pairs?
We had a short lecture and then an escorted drive to the private blind. It was around dinner time, so we had sandwiches and water with us (no rest rooms available near blind). We walked a mile with our gear to the blind. Our kids did not get too bored in the 1.5 hours in the blind, but we had some silenced games for them to play. Some ducks (teals) and a Yellowlegs entertained us while we waited, and a Meadowlark persistently sang, a song that sounds like R2D2 from Star Wars to me. A Killdeer made angry noises in our direction, then went away as the sun was going down.
Cranes were landing at spots further down the river as we peered through holes in the burlap cover of the blind. There were some 20 people in the blind. Three were with Svarovskis and one with a scope, which turned out to be useless in the blind setup. The Svarovskis were the size and shape of my Nikons. I am sure that if we had exchaneged binoculars, we would have seen exactly the same. By the way, there is a huge sports store in Kearney, Cabalas, that had all the optical equipment anybody could want, including Svarovskis. The tiny ones sold for $600. They also have shotguns, but crane shooting is banned in Nebraska, unlike Texas. A few locals raise the issue every so often. Now they claim cranes are polluting waters with feces. A ridiculous claim in farming and cattle country. They resist all aspects of government control, including the Endangered Species Act.
Cranes started landing in groups and I got the feeling I was watching Ohare airport landing strips in use. There were suddenly hundreds, and more kept coming. I took video of cranes landing across the red sun.
On the ground, some were dancing, but not a whole lot. They were picking at something in the water and the sand bars. Some groups of three and four were walking very close to us. I heard juveniles whistling and adult calls, so these seemed to be families. I do not recall seeing any Greater, only the Lesser and possibly the intermediate cranes. In this light, young birds looked much like adults, only slightly smaller. My video camera has a night shot option, but it has no manual focus, and eventually quit focusing. Soon after that we were done. There was no final climax, as in fireworks, though more cranes were landing as we left the blind in a huddled group. Cranes fear individuals. I think a parked car would make a sufficient blind, as long as you park early enough and stay in the car.
I guess this was my first trip, where birding was the main agenda for a day. I usually just take an hour or two on regular family vacations or scouting week-ends.
You can organize your crane viewing either from the Kearney end or Grand Island end of the section of the Platte River that the birds roost in. After Apr 15 you may not see many birds, but it may still be worth pulling off the Interstate in this area around sunset, to see if there are any. Before sunset, you only need to drive mile up any of the side roads, and you can see them in the corn fields. In some spots you can even see them off the Interstate.
We had a good rate in a motel in Grand Island, so we chose Crane Meadows Nature Center near it for our crane experience. It was $20 per person to go to the blinds, and kids have to be 10 or over. That was 5-8PM and there was also a bridge where you can stand and view. The crowd at this place was gray haired, most of the retirees. Very close by, nearly across the road was a public viewing platform, for free. Some locals on motorcycles were having a beer and waiting for cranes there. Some 5 AM viewing is also available. I think the area has some camping, not sure if near the river.
The other organized blinds and a trolley tour were centered around Kearney, such as at the Rowe Sanctuary.
We got there early and viewed cranes in fields on the way there. Most places they stay some 100m from the road. A few pairs were dancing in the fields. I presume these are the newlywed couples. A few hops should be enough for old pairs?
We had a short lecture and then an escorted drive to the private blind. It was around dinner time, so we had sandwiches and water with us (no rest rooms available near blind). We walked a mile with our gear to the blind. Our kids did not get too bored in the 1.5 hours in the blind, but we had some silenced games for them to play. Some ducks (teals) and a Yellowlegs entertained us while we waited, and a Meadowlark persistently sang, a song that sounds like R2D2 from Star Wars to me. A Killdeer made angry noises in our direction, then went away as the sun was going down.
Cranes were landing at spots further down the river as we peered through holes in the burlap cover of the blind. There were some 20 people in the blind. Three were with Svarovskis and one with a scope, which turned out to be useless in the blind setup. The Svarovskis were the size and shape of my Nikons. I am sure that if we had exchaneged binoculars, we would have seen exactly the same. By the way, there is a huge sports store in Kearney, Cabalas, that had all the optical equipment anybody could want, including Svarovskis. The tiny ones sold for $600. They also have shotguns, but crane shooting is banned in Nebraska, unlike Texas. A few locals raise the issue every so often. Now they claim cranes are polluting waters with feces. A ridiculous claim in farming and cattle country. They resist all aspects of government control, including the Endangered Species Act.
Cranes started landing in groups and I got the feeling I was watching Ohare airport landing strips in use. There were suddenly hundreds, and more kept coming. I took video of cranes landing across the red sun.
On the ground, some were dancing, but not a whole lot. They were picking at something in the water and the sand bars. Some groups of three and four were walking very close to us. I heard juveniles whistling and adult calls, so these seemed to be families. I do not recall seeing any Greater, only the Lesser and possibly the intermediate cranes. In this light, young birds looked much like adults, only slightly smaller. My video camera has a night shot option, but it has no manual focus, and eventually quit focusing. Soon after that we were done. There was no final climax, as in fireworks, though more cranes were landing as we left the blind in a huddled group. Cranes fear individuals. I think a parked car would make a sufficient blind, as long as you park early enough and stay in the car.
