2026 Bird Thread (Eagles, Sandhill Cranes, Etc)

[Brad]

2026 Bird Thread (Eagles, Sandhill Cranes, Etc)

Loess Bluffs (Formerly Squaw Creek)'s latest bird survey is out.
https://www.fws.gov/sites/default/files ... 260106.pdf

In addition to 20K Snow Geese, they have Trumpeter Swan 3,422

Bald Eagles have dropped off though. Only 484, down from 1,012 at the New Year.

[Brad]

Sandhill Crane Reservations opened today at Rowe Sanctuary:

https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/rowe ... -items=yes

Looks like the Crane Trust's reservations are open too:

https://www.cranetrust.org/crane-viewing/

[Brad]

Wintering Cranes Flight 4

https://www.cranetrust.org/wintering-cranes-flight-4/

It’s January 22, 2026, and we still have 35,000 +/- 5,000 Sandhill Cranes on the Platte River! We completed our last winter survey for the 2025/2026 winter season Wednesday morning (Jan 21 st ). Between all of our surveys this winter we’ve had nearly the same estimate since November. Most of the surveys the cranes have all been roosting just east of the Alda rd viewing deck which makes it very difficult to obtain quality photos to calculate a more precise error estimate.

More info about this record number of cranes in the link above.

[Brad]

2026 Migration Week 1 = 50,000

2026 Migration Week 2 = 116,000

https://www.cranetrust.org/week-1-2-of- ... migration/

Happy crane season! On Monday the 23 rd of February we estimated 115,000 +/- 6,000 Sandhill Cranes between Chapman and Overton, NE, along the Platte River. On February 12 th, we estimated around 50,000 cranes in the area. These numbers are definitely on the high end for this time of year! While this week’s count isn’t quite as high as the record from 2024, it well surpasses the average for the second week of migration (see below). In fact, the abundance of cranes in the area surpass the average of week 3 (see below).

More info in the link.

[almighty_tuna]

Wow, is it really officially crane season already?! I keep saying "one of these years"...

[Brad]

Wow, is it really officially crane season already?! I keep saying "one of these years"...

Starts at Valentines Day, Peaks at St Patrick's Day, Gone by Tax Day.

That said, they estimate 40k never went any further south this winter and stayed here all winter.

[Stan]

Wow, is it really officially crane season already?! I keep saying "one of these years"...

I grew up all my life living in eastern Nebraska and the only time I went further West in the state was to go with a high school girlfriend to visit her grandpa in Seward. About 20 years after that, I decided to take one of my kids out west to see the sandhill cranes. We also stopped at the archway and did the tour. Nice little trip, but once was enough.

[almighty_tuna]

I grew up all my life living in eastern Nebraska and the only time I went further West in the state was to go with a high school girlfriend to visit her grandpa in Seward. About 20 years after that, I decided to take one of my kids out west to see the sandhill cranes. We also stopped at the archway and did the tour. Nice little trip, but once was enough.

I've been out west for the cranes before, but not since I got my 300mm lens. I'm missing a good quality crane photo or two that's not in a barren corn field, I just haven't made the time to get back out there.

[Brad]

I have gone every year since 2009. Early on it was for a day or two each year, now its usually 4 days every March.

[Brad]

2026 Migration Week 3 = No Count

2026 Migration Week 4 = 402,000

https://www.cranetrust.org/week-4-of-20 ... migration/

After a long foggy week, we counted 402,000 +/- 40,000 Sandhill Cranes between Chapman and Overton, Nebraska, this morning (March 7 th ). This is above average for this time of year and, much like the last count (week 2), the numbers are closer to next week’s 10-year average. This continues to point to how the migration is moving earlier every year. Bridge segment 1 (Chapman to Hwy 34), 2 (Hwy 34 to Hwy 281), and 3 (Hwy 281 to Alda Rd.) had around 90,000 cranes each! Numbers like this east of Hwy 281 have become more common in the last few years. The remaining 132,000 cranes were spread throughout the rest of the Central Platte River, with concentrations east of Kearney and between Alda Rd. and Prosser Rd.

More info in the link.

[Brad]

2026 Migration Week 5 = 494,000

The blog post isn't uploaded yet so I'll post that link and information when its live.

Just from my own numbers, this year is still tracking along similar to 2024. If that trend continues we should still have about 3 more good weeks of cranes in Nebraska.

[Brad]

2026 Migration Week 6 = 400,000

https://www.cranetrust.org/week-6-of-20 ... migration/

On March 19 th we estimated there are at least 400,000 +/- 49,000 Sandhill Cranes in the Central Platte River Valley. A few variables during the survey likely contributed to a lower estimate than anticipated. While this estimate is down from last week, it tells the story that many cranes are coming and going from the river valley and our “peak” is rather a long plateau. The consistency in abundance from week to week is preferable as it is more likely to avoid overcrowding in the river and allows for longer prime viewing opportunities. Cranes are much more evenly spread throughout the survey area this week.

More info in the link..

I just got back from a 4 day trip to photograph the cranes and it was fantastic. The heat provided a very unique opportunity to photograph the cranes in the river during the middle of the day.

[almighty_tuna]

Looking forward to seeing those pics!

[Louie]

Was down in cedar creek on sunday where my folks live and I bet I saw a dozen bald eagles in just 4 hours.

[Brad]

2026 Migration Week 7 = 60,800

Lowest week 7 numbers ever.

Week 7 of Spring Crane Migration

https://www.cranetrust.org/week-7-of-sp ... migration/

On March 30th we surveyed the Central Platte River Valley and we estimate there are at least 60,800 +/- 12,400 Sandhill Cranes within the valley. A majority of the cranes are between Shelton and Kearney. This is a dramatic decrease from last week’s 400,000 estimate. Many warm (if not hot) days with winds from the south have provided ideal migration conditions since last count which definitely contribute to the decline. This time of year is often when we start seeing larger exoduses of birds. However, week 7 is variable from year to year often depending on environmental factors.

More info in the link.

[Brad]

There are a couple stragglers on the latest count, but 99.9999% of the cranes are now gone.

[Brad]

The Crane Trust now has a crane count page on their website.

https://www.cranetrust.org/crane-counts/

All the data over the years on one table.