Nebraska or Bust!

Nebraska or Bust!  Sandhill Cranes here I come... I get so excited this time of year not only to photograph the cranes but also simply just to SEE and HEAR them.  They are one of my favorite birds, magnificent animals and also one of the oldest, with one of the longest fossil histories of any bird still found today.

We arrived in Kearney, Nebraska at 4:30 this afternoon.  The temperature was 83 degrees when we arrived.  It is supposed to reach 89 tomorrow and everything (grass, trees, etc.) is very green already!  I have been down here 5 times already this same time of year and I've never seen it so green.  Kind of surreal.  We got lucky and were able to get into a group photography blind this evening at Rowe Sanctuary.  Even though we are a week later than we were last year, there are still plenty of Sandhill Cranes in the area.  Sunset over the Platte River was nothing short of AMAZING!

 
















Sandhill Cranes are birds that seem to be full of so much personality.  One can't help but think of them as goofy birds when you see them coming in for a landing.  While flying they are quite sleek with their legs sticking straight back and their necks stretched straight forward.  When landing, however, they flare their wings and their feet dangle beneath them while their heads stick up into the air.  I just love these birds!

 
















We had a great time this year photographing the cranes in Nebraska.  The conditions were much more favorable for photography than they were last year.  Last year the river's water level was too high which meant the birds were roosting farther away from the blinds than usual, and we had very little good light.  This year was different.  We had awesome sunset and sunrise light and the water level was lower which meant more sand bars and more places for the birds to roost.  The photo below could very well be my favorite shot from this year's trip.  I almost couldn't believe it when I saw that one crane start walking to the left.  I thought "No way!  He's gonna walk right through the sun's reflection on the water!"  Sure enough, he did... and provided me with an awesome photo to share!


















We had some beautiful light in Nebraska this year, which made up for the gray skies that dominated our trip last year.  The photo below is one of my favorite post-sunset shots from this year.  After the sun goes down the sky glows for several minutes and the river reflects that glow.  It was during this time that this photo was made.