Spring is just beginning to unfold at our headquarters in Vermont, but in other places it is already in full swing. While we patiently (or not) wait for the snow to melt and the Woodcock to take over the fields, we can already experience spring, coming to us live from Nebraska.
The Platte River Valley is the most important stopover for Sandhill Cranes, and right now it is host to astounding numbers of these ancient birds that have flown from southwestern US and Florida wintering grounds. The cranes roost at night in this shallow river, taking advantage of the protection the sandbars afford from predators like coyotes. Nearby farmlands and wet meadows offer an abundance of food, critical to cranes refueling for the next leg of their journey to parts north, from Alaska to Nunavut.
The Rowe Sanctuary's live "crane cam" located on the Platte River just east of Kearney, NE is full of activity all day, but you'll see and hear mind-boggling numbers of cranes around dawn and dusk. Here on the East Coast that currently translates to peak activity roughly around 7:30 - 8:30am (lift-off is apparently around 8am) and 8:30-9:30 pm.
In stark contrast to the Platte River, Vermont sees only occasional visits from Sandhill Cranes, and the first nest for the state was only recently documented, in 2005 in Bristol. The pair eventually succeeded in raising young in 2007, and have continued to nest each year. Although Vermont lies east of the species' typical breeding range, birders may very well be able to look forward to additional breeding attempts in the future; populations have been expanding for decades and new breeding records have been sprouting up in recent years in the Northeast.
Click here to visit the webcam
- Rosalind Renfrew
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