You won’t have to watch cranes very long to see a few start to play and dance around in this herky-jerky fashion. Sometimes it’s a couple birds together or sometimes its just a single bird all off on its own…having a grand old time. I’m no crane expert but to me it looks like they … Read more
Today I stand on the banks of the Platte with camera in hand as my witness. The river rushes above me, below me and through me. My photographs are a way to help me remember who I am, where I come from, and who I am becoming. And I hope I can return again and … Read more
Springtime in the Midwest, at least for many birds, means migration time. The cranes of Nebraska are no exception. After a few weeks of hanging around the Platte, feeding and re-energizing, they are looking for the right winds to continue on their migration north. Wind direction is everything really. When the north winds blow they … Read more
Sandhill Cranes who roost on the Platte River at night will sometimes leave the water well before dawn. They can see quite well in low light so it could be because they are simply ready to go to nearby fields to begin feeding for the day. Or they may have been spooked by a predator … Read more
The rain began around 3am and continued throughout the morning, but the cranes didn’t mind it at all. In fact they seemed to hang around the river longer because of it. Spending time with them you begin to pick up physical cues that they are about to depart. A few will do a kind of … Read more
“High horns, low horns, silence, and finally a pandemonium of trumpets, rattles, croaks, and cries that almost shakes the bog with its nearness … A new day has begun on the crane marsh. A sense of time lies thick and heavy on such a place.” ~ Aldo Leopold