International Crane Foundation

A couple weeks ago, I went back to where my career got started. The International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, WI. It was great to all the new exhibit work - I love it! I could have spent all day wondering around and staring at the beautiful birds!

Awesome recycled glass pathway

Goofing around in the new exhibits

Black-crowned Crane

Whooping Crane

Parents and me at the Whooping Crane exhibit

Hanging with my favorite crane species!

Olga

A couple days ago, I got my new book in the mail. It is a children's book called Olga the Brolga. My favorite crane species. Olga wants to dance, but no one will dance with her. The illustrations are awesome and in the end, Olga gets her friends to dance. Super Cute!

So Many Cranes!!!!

Sandhill Crane dancing

Spent today driving around central Nebraska looking for cranes and other birds. We ended up seeing thousands of cranes and going to Nebraska Nature and Visitor Center. Here we saw Dr Paul Johnsgard speak - he has written books about the Platte, Nebraska birds and Cranes. This guy would be an awesome Ornithology professor. We ended our day standing on a bridge watching the cranes land in the river and another nice sunset. Another lovely day. If I lived here, I would be out every night watching the birds - you can never get too many cranes!

Dr Johnsgard speaking out Nebraska birds

Roadside sign along the Platte

Hanging out in the corn fields

Standing on a bridge at sunset watching the cranes

A group of cranes riding the thermals on the way in for the evening

Sunset over the Platte

Birding near Kearney

Me and a couple of my crane friends!

After an amazing morning in the blind yesterday morning, my parents and I grabbed a quick breakfast. Next up on the agenda, driving around south central Nebraska looking for birds. There were the usual suspects and a few birds that haven't made their way back to Minnesota yet. I saw my first kestrels of the year - a couple males sitting on the power lines. Robins, red-winged blackbirds, sandpipers and various waterfowl. LOTS of hawks and turkeys. Hundreds of geese and of course THOUSANDS of cranes. I am still on the lookout for fewer less common species but we will see how it goes.

CRANES!

Red-tailed Hawk

My dad nearly hitting a wild turkey. Okay he wasn't even close but this pictures makes me laugh every time I look at it.

Red-winged Blackbird

Cranes at Sunrise!

Foggy morning

 Before sunrise this morning my dad and I headed out to Rowe Sanctuary to see the cranes take off in the morning. The guides guesstimated the crane count at 10,000 to 15,000 birds. Three hours later, I had seen more birds than I ever imagined with the birds still hanging out in the river. They were super close and I got some awesome pictures! Breathtaking!!

Cranes starting to take off

Flying over the Platte

So many!

Sandhills

Stretching the wings!

Platte Sunset

  

We arrived at Kearney Nebraska last night just in time to see the sunset. This was exciting because all the cranes fly to the Platte River from the corn field to roost for the night. We found a park that had a viewing bridge over the river. I got to enjoy a beautiful sunset and watch cranes come in for nearly an hour!

CRANEAGE

This morning I dragged my bootie out of bed well before sunrise and was off to see cranes. We went to Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge and were standing, ready and waiting before 7AM. Shortly after, the cranes started coming out of roost and flying out to forage in neighboring fields. I saw over 500 sandhill cranes in total as well as a bunch of ducks, swans, grackles, red-tailed hawks and even a coyote.

3 cranes at sunrise

Right over head!

It was AMAZING to see all the cranes fly over head and a great way to start my birthday!

CRANES!

I have been hearing them all summer long but haven't gotten to see a bunch of these beautiful birds. One day, we were looking out one of the buildings and there they were - right outside my office window!!! I got a couple decent pictures of them - and yes, I did stalk them.

Wildlife

Here are a few of the fun wildlife sightings and photographs that I have taken this past week.

Something found dinner....

Sandhill Cranes! If I had to guess, its a pair and their offspring

Taking off when I got too close!

Not quite wildlife, but this Lake Sturgeon is the newest member of the teaching staff at the center.

CRANES!

They are back!

In the past week, I have seen 10 and heard numerous pairs union calling. While at the Sherbunre NWR, we saw one walking down the gravel road as if to show off his painting skills. For the past couple mornings, my walk to the barn has been filled with the trumpets of cranes unison calling as breeding season approachs. There is just something about these birds that brings a smile to my face. They are large, graceful and completely intrigue me.

For some unknown reason, I could not find a good picture of a crane (that wasn't behind a fence). So, here is a picture of me out on a crane capture in 2008 when I worked at the International Crane Foundation (http://www.savingcranes.org/). As you can tell my clothes, it was quite the ordeal to get this juvenile bird. In the end, I got to hold my first crane and our little buddy got some fancy new jewelery.

"When we hear his call, we hear no mere bird" Aldo Leopold