2018 Sandhill Crane Thread

Grand Island, Hastings, Kearney, DesMoines, and the rest of Nebraska and Iowa

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Brad
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2018 Sandhill Crane Thread

Post by Brad »

Cranes usually start showing up next week. Wonder what this cold winter is going to do the schedule...

Reminder, Cranes start to arrive around Valentines Day, Peak near St Patrick's Day, and are gone by Tax Day.
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Re: 2018 Sandhill Crane Thread

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Right on time!
Rowe Sanctuary wrote:Cranes are here!!! At 4:30 this afternoon February 12, we saw about 50 cranes flying overhead!! Tell us how much you like this.
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Re: 2018 Sandhill Crane Thread

Post by Brad »

This year the Crane Count pages say "Data property of the Crane Trust, please contact before redistributing or publishing.", so instead of posting the numbers, see the links below.

This week's numbers:
https://cranetrust.org/counts-week-3-2018/

And to compare it to last year:
https://cranetrust.org/counts-week-3-2017/
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Re: 2018 Sandhill Crane Thread

Post by Brad »

Week 4 numbers are in:
https://cranetrust.org/counts-week-4-2018/

Cranes are still running "late" this year.
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Re: 2018 Sandhill Crane Thread

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Re: 2018 Sandhill Crane Thread

Post by Candleshoe »

Went out after lunch today. Not the best time, but you work with what you got.
Basically stayed south of the river between Doniphan and Alda and noted a LOT of bird tourists for the middle of a Tuesday. Texas, Colorado, Iowa and Minnesota plates were spotted along with a surprising number of "Mountain Lion" Nebraska plates.

I DID see Bob the whooper, but he was hanging back on the river with a couple of thousand buddies and was most of a half mile off the road.

A few pics from today...

ImageEnvy by Joe, on Flickr

ImageStop, hey, what's that sound? by Joe, on Flickr

ImageThere's a party goin' on by Joe, on Flickr


and just outside of GI

ImageJust outside of town by Joe, on Flickr
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Re: 2018 Sandhill Crane Thread

Post by Coyote »

Nice, where did you see Bob, I've been hearing around Wood River / Alda.
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Re: 2018 Sandhill Crane Thread

Post by Candleshoe »

http://www.5280.com/2018/03/witness-one ... igrations/

Nice feature on the crane migration in Denver's "5280 Magazine".
Hailed as the second largest wildlife migration in North America, upward of 500,000 sandhill cranes speckle the Nebraska sky from late February to early April during their annual migration. It’s estimated that nearly 80 percent of the world’s entire population of sandhill cranes use a 75-mile stretch of the Platte River to “stage” before their long journey north to their breeding grounds in Canada and Alaska, creating quite a spectacle to behold.

Lucky for Coloradans, nabbing a front row seat to one of nature’s most magnificent shows is only a short road trip or flight away. Whether you’re an avid birder, an amateur photographer, or just a fan of nature’s beauty, head to central Nebraska this spring to take in the breathtaking view.
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Re: 2018 Sandhill Crane Thread

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Coyote wrote:Nice, where did you see Bob, I've been hearing around Wood River / Alda.
East of the Alda Bridge, South of the Interstate.
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Re: 2018 Sandhill Crane Thread

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Yeah, that is where we saw Bob too, this weekend.
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Re: 2018 Sandhill Crane Thread

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Thanks, a few of us will be out there in a couple weeks.
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Re: 2018 Sandhill Crane Thread

Post by Brad »

Your making me jealous Candleshoe! I can't wait to get out there!
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Re: 2018 Sandhill Crane Thread

Post by Uffda »

So I had a friend post this photo
540B3BB4-12A3-4C5F-97A2-B1833500725D.jpeg
540B3BB4-12A3-4C5F-97A2-B1833500725D.jpeg (192.46 KiB) Viewed 2614 times

Dr Jane Goddall
Last edited by Uffda on Wed Mar 14, 2018 8:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: 2018 Sandhill Crane Thread

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Nancy is a good friend of mine too.
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Re: 2018 Sandhill Crane Thread

Post by Brad »

Looks to be a record year for cranes.

https://cranetrust.org/counts-week-6-2018/

Coyote, The1Wags and I just got back from a weekend out there. It was a great weekend!
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Re: 2018 Sandhill Crane Thread

Post by Brad »

Cranes are heading north. Still a lot, but starting to head down:

https://cranetrust.org/counts-week-7-2018/
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Re: 2018 Sandhill Crane Thread

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Small lift-off of Sandhill Cranes near Gibbon, NE on Sunday Morning, March 25, 2018. This video was taken from public right-of-way near the Platte River. This was near the peak of the spring migration, but not in one of the two main roosts.

[youtube][/youtube]
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Re: 2018 Sandhill Crane Thread

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More Crane Counts on the Crane Trust website.

https://cranetrust.org/counts-week-8-9-2018/
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Re: 2018 Sandhill Crane Thread

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Whooping crane population breaks 500

https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/counti ... =hootsuite
Jessica Priest, Victoria Advocate wrote:The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released an estimate Tuesday that as many as 505 whooping cranes made Texas their home last winter.

That’s up from an estimated 431 the winter before.

“Breaking the 500 mark for this wild population is a huge milestone,” Amy Lueders, the service’s southwest regional director, wrote in a news release. “Seeing this iconic bird continue to expand demonstrates how the Endangered Species Act can help a species recover from the brink of extinction. I have to credit our biologists and our partners and local communities who continue to invest so much time and effort to improve our ability to make sure future generations have the chance to marvel at the beauty of these amazing wild birds.”
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Re: 2018 Sandhill Crane Thread

Post by Uffda »

Oh forgot to post this... saw these two down by Land o Lakes FL and they told me to say Hi to Brad and Coyote. :lol:

Image
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Re: 2018 Sandhill Crane Thread

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LOL, its amazing how different they act down south... Up here they would start walking away long before we got that close.
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Re: 2018 Sandhill Crane Thread

Post by Uffda »

Brad wrote: Wed Aug 22, 2018 10:56 pm LOL, its amazing how different they act down south... Up here they would start walking away long before we got that close.
They're more relaxed in Florida - that was taking from my daughter's front deck. But when I would go for a walk and they would step off the sidewalk and let me pass -- very polite. :lol:
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