Nebraska: Sandhill Cranes & Prairie-Chickens

Sandhill Cranes © Barry Zimmer

A matchless experience with untold thousands of waterfowl and cranes, a wide diversity of raptors, and a morning spent watching the dramatic courtship dances of Greater Prairie-Chickens.

As it winds its way across the plains of central Nebraska, the Platte River hosts the greatest of all North American wildlife spectacles. Each spring, several million birds stop over here on their northbound migration; among them are more than 500,000 Sandhill Cranes—some 80 percent of the world population. Every evening the cranes return in their thousands from the fields and wet meadows to roost on the Platte’s broad channels and sandbars. Raptors are often numerous, and Greater Prairie-Chickens have begun their exuberant dancing displays in the 20,000 wild square miles of the Nebraska Sandhills.

Bald Eagles, Rough-legged, and Red-tailed hawks (often including striking dark-morph and intermediate individuals), and other raptors will be present in open country, while Wild Turkeys, Barred Owls, and Harris’s Sparrows may be found in the more wooded habitats along the Platte and Missouri Rivers. Depending on the weather and water conditions to the north, waterfowl numbers and diversity range from high to overwhelming, and a highlight of this tour is the chance to study at our leisure, often at close range, several species of ducks and geese that can be challenging or less familiar.

Mostly roadside birding with relatively little walking; primary birding focus at dawn and dusk, sometimes resulting in early or late meals; relatively short species list; possibility of winter-like weather.

Greater Prairie-Chicken © Brian Gibbons