March is Sandhill Crane month along the Platte River in central Nebraska as hundreds of thousands of Sandhills add their voices to the valley. The annual spring stopover concentration of Sandhill Cranes becomes the largest assemblage of cranes anywhere in the world, which attracts people nationwide to witness the morning and evening flights of cranes along the Platte River and observe flocks feeding in adjacent harvested ag fields. It's a compelling experience, and beginning the first week of March, the Audubon Center at the Rowe Sanctuary in the Platte River Valley near the city of Kearny will begin providing a variety of opportunities for birders to join guided tours including photo tours, and to visit the Center.
Sandhill Crane numbers will increase throughout March and into early April, and the Sandhill Experience is beautifully enhanced by concentrations of other birds, including thousands of Snow Geese and Canada Geese, flocks of Cackling Geese, White-fronted Geese, and ducks like Northern Pintails, Blue-winged Teal, and Mallards. Early March is also an excellent time to see numbers of Bald Eagles along the river, plus songbirds that include Harris's Sparrows, American Tree Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows, and Dark-eyed Juncos among many others. There is also a somewhat remote chance to see Whooping Cranes in the area during a migration stopover, and some years a wayward Common Crane from Asia will be seen among the flocks of Sandhill Cranes.
Sandhill Cranes remain in the area into April, and you can learn more about the exciting birding opportunities and tours in the area provided by the Iain Nicolson Audubon Center at Crane Season | Iain Nicolson Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary
The first Sandhill Cranes have already started to arrive, and you can hear the cranes, geese, and ducks while viewing the live camera scene at Audubon's Rowe Sanctuary anytime. Watch the morning flight from the river to surrounding fields, as well as the after-sunset flights of cranes returning the Platte River. It's even interesting to take a look after dark to see Sandhill Cranes roosting along the river and listen to the sounds at Audubon's Rowe Sanctuary's Crane Camera | Explore.org. Actually, the closest views of Sandhills can be available after dark – Enjoy!