DLewis Loc: Aurora, CO

In mid-March, some friends, my wife and I are going to Kearney, NB for 4 days to view the Sand Hill Cranes in their migration. I would ask for information from anyone who's very familiar with the event and the area as to where to go for best viewing and at what times of day are best? I'm very much looking forward to this trip and photo opportunities.

Thank you in advance for any tips.

Dennis

williejoha

Google has some very good answers to your questions. It is quite the event.
WJH

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

Sandhill Cranes are so strange looking. Enjoy.

FL Streetrodder

We had great viewing in our front yard this morning as a pair of Sandhills strolled through! Down here in central Florida they are year-round residents.

RustyM

I’ve seen them at Kearney, and it is quite spectacular. They overnight by the thousands on sandbars in the Platt River. They begin to agitate at dawn and take off almost all at once shortly after. They disperse into the surrounding fields for the day. They return at dusk, gradually filling the sky overhead, and then they suddenly descend onto the sandbars. There is very little light left at this point, so photography is tough. This link provides info on viewing locations https://visitkearney.org/sandhill-crane-public-viewing-locations/. The best place is Rowe Sanctuary, https://visitkearney.org/sandhill-cranes/,but it requires reservations and it may be too late. Enjoy your trip.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Have a great trip, they are special.

huskerfan07

Almost anywhere between North Platte and Grand Island, along the Platte River, and the fields to the north and south of the river are places you can see the cranes. Another place with tours and guided tours is the Crane Trust and Visitors Center at Alda, Nebraska, exit 305 on I-80. It's about a 30 minute drive east of Kearney. Blind tours usually fill up fast but Crane Trust and Rowe Sanctuary might have a few left. They have early morning or evening times when the cranes are at the river in the morning, or when they return in the evening. Crane Trust does a weekly flyover and estimates the counts of cranes and other birds along the river.

Here's this weeks count: On February 13th 2023, we counted an estimated 6,400±900 Sandhill Cranes in the Central Platte River Valley between Chapman and Overton, Nebraska. All the Sandhill Cranes were in roosts by Mormon and Shoemaker Island. This is a fairly average first week (typically between 4,000 to 8,000) but is significantly less than last year at this time (27,425±645 Sandhill Cranes). This weeks estimates are definitely a current minimum as after returning from the flight we saw more flocks coming to the river, possibly a small push before the weather came through last night into today. We also counted 56,207 dark geese (Canada Geese, Greater White-fronted Geese, and Cackling Geese), 33 Trumpeter Swans, and 4 Bald Eagles. Geese were fairly well spread throughout the river valley but about 2/5th of the counted geese were between Elm Creek and Overton.

https://cranetrust.org/

Canisdirus

I had a family raise their young on one of my properties for many years now...

Like most wildlife...sunrises and sunset hours...always the best...no matter where you go really.

Basil_O Loc: Minneapolis, MN

The Rowe Sanctuary is a great place to start. If you can still find space, a slot in one of the viewing blinds should be on your list. I prefer the evening session, as watching thousands of birds come in to roost is a sight (and sound) that is an experience to remember. You can get some good shots early in the evening, but I prefer to just enjoy the time. The light fades fast and the restrictions in the viewing blinds hinder you (no tripods, no continuous shooting modes and no lenses that protrude outside the blinds). If photography is a goal, there are photography specific viewing experiences available as well that allow tripods. However, I have found that the best place to go for photos is simply to drive the back roads around Gibbon and see the birds in the fields of flying overhead.

dikh123

You can encounter the Sandhill Cranes from North Platte to Grand Island along I80. I live in North Platte and we have a vast number of cranes in and around the city. There are numerous interstate lakes along I80 and often times, the cranes land near those bodies of water and can easily be photographed. If you get online you will find the commercial guides for crane viewing near Kearney provided they have openings remaining for this year. If you find it difficult to locate cranes and photographic opportunities, hit me up as your visit nears and I'll see what I can do.

DLewis Loc: Aurora, CO

Thank You. I'll do that!

DLewis Loc: Aurora, CO

Thanks Rusty!!

DLewis Loc: Aurora, CO

Thank you for this help!!

DLewis Loc: Aurora, CO

Really appreciate your help!

DLewis Loc: Aurora, CO

Big help, thank you and thank you for the offer!!