Cranes, Cranes and Cowboys or Cell Phones Don’t Float

The first day of spring looked a lot like the last day winter.  Yesterday’s rain turned to ice overnight. The weather report calls for sun today but right now the clouds are heavy and low, duck hunters would be excited.  The plan called for driving more gravel roads trying to locate a construction of cranes feeding on the grain left in the fields. Yep, “construction” is the correct term for a herd of cranes.

One of the first stops was at the Crane Trust Nature and Visitor Center (https://cranetrust.org/) just west of Grand Island NE.  The exhibits were well done and the photography on the walls was inspiring.  This organization offers a variety of services including blinds along the Platte River for viewing cranes coming to roost on the sandbars every evening. FYI to the birding novice:  a blind is a tiny box big that comfortably fits one small person that actually contains three or four large people, all who are standing in wait for the cranes to come by.

Yes, I’m still in Nebraska, while searching the back roads looking for the next  Sand Hill Crane to pose for me, I came across this cattle drive complete with ranchers on horseback and a cattle dog.

In my youth, I thought people who spent their time looking for birds were odd.  Perhaps I was correct.  Once I got over the embarrassment of admitting that I actually planned and looked forward to driving ten hours to only look at a bird, it was a pretty amazing experience.  Standing in the dark along the Platte River, the sounds coming from the birds as they gradually work up the energy to leave the nights roost and move out into the surrounding fields was nothing like any sounds I have heard in nature.  Thinking back it brings to mind the cacophony of a large dinner party with Sherrie’s family.

This next photo is a small section taken from the one above.  Notice the hundreds of cranes both in the water and flying over head.

I had the most fun shooting the cranes “dancing” or posturing.  Best I can figure with my limited avian knowledge is that the male crane that dances the best is the one that gets laid the most.

This is not a Sand Hill Crane but I liked the photo.  This Red Winged Blackbird kept reminding me that I was invading his mud puddle while I was trying to hide from the cranes fifty yards out in the field.

I had no idea of what to expect on this trip.  Had hoped to see a few cranes but my history of actually finding wildlife is sketchy at best but my friend Jimmie is pretty good at it.  On previous trips west Kearney, NE was a gas stop maybe.  Did not see more than what was visible within a half mile from the interstate.  Turns out there is a reasonably large town with good restaurants and coffee shops.  Great burgers at Cunningham’s Journal (http://cunninghamsjournal.net/) and the people at Baristas Daily Grind are particularly nice and open at 5:30 which is important when you need to be in the field very early. (https://baristasdailygrind.com/)

In closing I would like to share with my thousands of readers that despite reports to the contrary, I definitively proved on this trip that cell phones do not float nor do they work properly after not floating. I will try to add important facts like this in future posts.

Dennis