Every year, for about 4 or 5 weeks, from late February to early April, Sandhill Cranes migrate through Nebraska.  The Smithsonian estimates there are about 500,000 coming through; about 80% of the entire world’s population of cranes!  They rest up here, and feast on leftover grain in the the fields before flying on north.  The Platte River is a great spot for them, and just happens to be along I80 where we were working our way east, back to Florida.  So we made a small detour and got to see a few thousand… and hear them! They fill the air with their interesting noises.

Sunset is when they start looking for a place to spend the night – best time to see and hear them, not the best for close-up photography.

It wasn’t like the sky was dark with so many birds, like Carlsbad Caverns is with the bats in the evening, but large formations of cranes were flying around everywhere.

The following video clip is really just so you can hear their fun cries!