- Subscribe -Follow our YouTube ChannelFollow our YouTube Channel

Arrival Of The Sandhill Cranes In Western Nebraska 

| NEBRASKA |

By: Photojournalist Hawk Buckman


Each year a spectacle occurs in the Sandhills of central and, with increasing frequency, western Nebraska. Of course, we’re talking about the Sandhill crane’s annual migration, which stops to rest and feed in the heart of Nebraska..


The largest gathering of cranes happens near North Platte, Nebraska, beginning in mid-March and early April, where thousands of birds converge near the North Platte River and its tributaries. But you’re likely to see them elsewhere, mainly in fields where they journey early morning to feed on the discarded corn kernels left over from the previous year’s harvest.

The fall migration of sandhill cranes is from October into November. During the spring migration, large flocks are not witnessed due to the birds hurrying to Texas, New Mexico, Mexico, and Arizona before colder temperatures set in, overflying Nebraska and not congregating in mass. Some birds stop over in groups of ten to twenty to take a break in Nebraska, but this is only to sleep for the night, leaving in the early morning to continue their journey. Most remain aloft following the jet streams which take them south, covering hundreds of miles per day.

During the spring migration, the birds are on their way north to breeding grounds from February to mid-April, stopping in central Nebraska and following the central flyway North to the northern U.S., central Canada, western Alaska, and Siberia. But something is changing that is now affecting the bird’s migratory behavior, and we’re willing to bet you can guess what it is.

Call it what you will; climate change, global warming, rising global temperatures; the climate is the foundation of many species’ continued existence and survival, and the data science is observing regarding weather is solid and threatening to many species, including the human species.

Crops, transportation, energy consumption, medicine, and many other civilization requirements are being affected by small changes in climate, and the Sandhill Crane is not immune to these changes.

Since 2018, Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, has witnessed an increase in the Sandhill Crane migratory population. Once small survival flocks found their way into far western Nebraska. In 2023, the Sandhill Crane population has more than quadrupled in the number of cranes occupying farmer’s fields, lakeside pastures, and the sky. Thousands of birds are arriving from every direction, descending on areas near small bodies of water and foraging in field rows for insects and discarded grain.

Sandhill Cranes

Photography by: Hawk Buckman

Though the central flyway in eastern Nebraska continues to witness the most significant population of birds, Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, is quickly becoming a tourist attraction for the mass arrival of Sandhill cranes spawning new tourism opportunities in western Nebraska to which more and more people, including residents, are beginning to take advantage of.

Finding Sandhill cranes is relatively easy in western Nebraska. Wherever there’s a dirt road leading into the distance, toward a farmer’s field, North and northeast of the city of Scottsbluff, Nebraska, cranes are found in small groups. We’ve noticed the cranes prefer to land near and hang around, pivots in larger fields, so look for them there. Binoculars are necessary to view them from a distance as, despite their significant size, they blend into the background of tilled dirt easily.

At dusk, thousands of birds fly to a central location near Little Lake Alice, not to be confused with Big Lake Alice, which is now empty of water and a desolation of sand covering the entirety of the once beautiful lake. The cranes tend to avoid this area and prefer to gather near smaller bodies of water, though not on the water in western Nebraska, as is the norm in eastern Nebraska.

Finding Sandhill cranes

Locating the massive flocks of birds is relatively easy. If you’re visiting Scottsbluff, Nebraska, travel to Sugar Factory Road from Highway 26, going north until reaching Lake Minatare Road. Turn east (right) and travel about 2 miles until you reach CR 26. Turn North onto the dirt road. Ensure your windows are up due to the dust your vehicle will kick up, and avoid saturating your interior with dirt. Continue North until you see flock after flock of birds flying in one direction. Follow them. You’ll soon arrive at the location they’ve chosen to overnight. As the birds jostle and arrange themselves into a hierarchy, more flocks will simultaneously come from the horizon, from every direction, in mass.

| MORE INFORMATION

The Nature Conservancy



48-Hour Road Trips

00:11:03
In this installment of Trails West Magazine, our journey leads us to Potter, Nebraska, where we'll uncover the origins of a delectable delight – the Tin Roof Sundae. This frozen confection reshaped the nation's dessert preferences during the latter half of the 20th century.

Recent Discoveries

00:11:03
In this installment of Trails West Magazine, our journey leads us to Potter, Nebraska, where we'll uncover the origins of a delectable delight – the Tin Roof Sundae. This frozen confection reshaped the nation's dessert preferences during the latter half of the 20th century.

Trails West

The immigrant trails, western Nebraska's western heritage, agriculture, and rural culture hold particular interest to most visitors. Still, there's always more to the Nebraska panhandle than meets the eye, and fast food hasn't been excluded from its history. 
The elusive swift fox (Vulpes velox) earns its name by reaching speeds of up to 25 mph in pursuit of its prey, which consists of anything that doesn’t eat them first
- Subscribe on YouTube -Subscribe on YouTube

Discover Wyoming

Rising 100 feet above the floor of the North Platte River valley, near present day Guernsey, Wyoming, stands the easternmost of three emigrant recording areas in Wyoming.
Mni Akuwin’s body rested, undisturbed, on this platform until 1876, when Spotted Tail had her remains moved from Fort Laramie and buried at what is now the Spotted Tail Cemetery in Rosebud, South Dakota.
While visiting Fort Laramie, take a detour to view another facet of its long and fascinating history at a lesser-known and more scandalous slice of Fort Laramie.

Nebraska Panhandle

The Elusive and Endangered Swift Fox

The elusive swift fox (Vulpes velox) earns its name by reaching speeds of up to 25 mph in pursuit of its prey, which consists of anything that doesn’t eat them first

The Plight of Nebraska’s Black-tailed Prairie Dogs

The Great Plains encompasses the entirety of Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota and parts of Colorado, Kansas, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wyoming. Each state offers ecoregions and ecosystems unto themselves and each is unique.

Discover & Explore

error: Content is protected !!