One of the truly fantastic bird migration events. Sandhill Cranes, Grus canadensis (Gruidae) as they move north across North America - here stopping over on the Platte River outside the Audubon Society's Lillian Annette Rowe Bird Sanctuary (commonly known as Rowe Sanctuary) in Gibbon, Nebraska. this morning in early March it was estimated there were over 5,000 birds on our small stretch of the river. Hard to comprehend, but these were the just early arrivals as over 450,000 are expected over the next few weeks. They'll rest along the Platte and feed on corn (waste leftover from the fall harvest) and other local invertebrates for about a month before moving north for the summer.
What a treat!! In addition to the shear visual spectacle of the, the sound is indescribable. I've never seen or experienced anything like this before and I'll be sure to do it again. We had fog on this morning making the colors appear more like a painting than a photograph. Here it's also during the transition from darkness to sunrise. - RFP 11x16 - Bill Dahl (WMDahl)
