Registration and Check In, settle into our lodgings for the next three nights and enjoy a welcome dinner. Orientation and Introductory Lecture

Afternoon: 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM Registration and check-in.

Dinner: Dinner at local restaurant

Evening: Orientation meeting to learn about the week's activities and introductions.

Lodging: Microtel Inn Hotel

Meals Included: Dinner

The Spectacle of “Crane Rise” on the Platte River: Rowe Sanctuary Viewing Blinds

Breakfast: Microtel Breakfast Buffet including hot and cold items

Morning: In the early morning hours we will experience our first “crane rise” as the “gray sandbar islands” of the Platte River turn into clouds of Sandhill cranes leaving their roost sites. Pre-dawn crane music turns into a crescendo of wake-up calls as the cranes awaken and leave their riverine roost sites. We will have reserved blinds at Audubon’s Rowe Sanctuary for prime views of the cranes in areas along the river’s edge. With an expert crane naturalist from Audubon, we will experience the almost deafening chorus and clamor of tens of thousands of cranes taking flight toward the cornfields and prairies where they will forage during the day. After watching this exciting spectacle, we take time to view the displays at the sanctuary and to watch birds at the feeders: Harris, White-crowned and White-throated Sparrows, White-breasted Nuthatches, and possibly Red-bellied Woodpeckers. We also may find Green-winged Teal or some early migrating shorebirds feeding on the river’s mudflats, returning to Kearney for a “Brunch” in town.

Lunch: Restaurant meal

Afternoon: We will return to the Rowe Sanctuary in early afternoon for the resident biologist’s lecture on “Crane Habitat and Behavior. Then spend the remainder of the afternoon viewing more crane activity in the fields south of the Platte River. After an early dinner, we visit Fort Kearny State Park to learn more about the pioneers of the Oregon and Mormon Trails. In trees we look for wintering and resident passerine birds such as Cedar Waxwings, Northern Cardinals, and Bluejays, while keeping an eye out along the river for the majestic Bald Eagles that frequent the Platte. Then venture out at sunset to watch the cranes come into roost from the former railroad and now the walking bridge over the Platte

Dinner: Dinner at local restaurant

Evening: After a very early start and a long day, free to relax and prepare for tomorrow's adventure

Lodging: Microtel Inn Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Microtel Breakfast Buffet including hot and cold items

Morning: Today we enjoy a more leisurely morning after yesterday’s early awakening. After breakfast, we drive south to Harlan County Reservoir with its excellent habitat for viewing a variety of waterfowl, shore birds, and resident raptors. There may be our first opportunity to view from a distance a Greater prairie Chicken Lek along the drive.

Lunch: Enjoy lunch at a delightful local café in Holdrege.

Afternoon: We drive through wetlands and ponds of the famous Rainwater Basin, one of the west’s most important areas for migrant waterfowl. Depending upon season and weather conditions, the sheer number of birds in these wetlands often defies the imagination in a wet year. We hope to find over a dozen species of waterfowl, and with luck we’ll find some of the thousands of wintering Snow and Ross’ Geese and perhaps a few White-fronted Geese still lingering there. We will scout a local prairie dog town looking for Burrowing owls. Then as we angle our way back through farm fields and roads, we have a chance to watch crane behavior in detail. Watch for pair bonding activities, dancing, strutting, feeding, resting, and other flock dynamics.

Dinner: We eat an early dinner at a local restaurant.

Evening: We return to the Platte River choosing one of several viewing decks for the evening crane viewing. We also point our scopes towards the Platte River in search of migrant shorebirds. With a falling curtain of daylight (hopefully spotlighted by a fabulous sunset) we will hear the cranes magical orchestra and see the pageantry of their wings as clouds of birds descend and transform into gray Platte River islands.

Lodging: Microtel Inn Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Prairie Chickens & Sharp-tailed Grouse, Bald Eagle Concentrations & More!

Breakfast: Microtel Breakfast Buffet including hot and cold items

Morning: This morning after breakfast we check out of the Microtel. We begin our trip north to Calamus Reservoir and accommodations at an ecotourism award-winning ranch. As we progress east along the Platte we observe Sandhill Cranes that feed in the fields for as far as the eye can see. We also look for the first migrant shorebirds to show up along the Platte River, and for early songbird migrants such as Eastern Bluebird and Eastern Phoebe. We may be fortunate to spot an early Whooping Crane, as we head north following a scenic route along the Loup River.

Lunch: Box lunch or restaurant meal enroute

Afternoon: We arrive at our lodgings on a private ranch near Calamus Reservoir at Taylor, NE in the afternoon, birding at Calamus Reservoir en route.

Dinner: Dinner will be catered in our lodge by ranch staff.

Evening: Enjoy hospitality, and in the evening, a chance to look and listen for Great Horned and Eastern Screech Owls.

Lodging: Calamus Outfitter at Switzer Ranch

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Lodge hot breakfast after viewing

Morning: This morning we arise before dawn to be able to witness the spring courtship rites of Greater Prairie Chickens. By this time in March they have started their dawn-hour dancing and booming at lek (dancing ground) display sites. Sharp-tailed Grouse may also be displaying at these sites. With luck, we’ll also hear a dawn concert of Western Meadowlarks and watch Northern Harriers hunting near the lek site. Our hosts at Calamus Outfitters have set up a great system for observing Greater Prairie Chickens at close range. Our blind is an old school bus and the birds are right outside the windows! By 8:00 – 9:00 AM, activity at the lek will diminish and we return to the ranch for a delicious hot breakfast. After a break, we drive around Calamus Reservoir, stopping at various fishing access points, some with trails, to find a variety of birds. We are likely to see Bald Eagles and a good variety of ducks – all bright in breeding plumage. White Pelicans may pass as chevrons in the sky, and with luck we’ll find some of the first spring migrants such as Eastern Bluebirds or Eastern Phoebes.

Lunch: We enjoy a cafe lunch in town, sampling a bit of Nebraska rural life.

Afternoon: After the early morning rising, a nap or quiet time is likely in order for mid-afternoon. Late afternoon we take a drive up to a nearby creek where warm springs provide open water for waterfowl and Horned Larks feed on prairie hillsides that line the road. Wild Turkey and possible Long-eared Owls may be present on the ranch as well.

Dinner: As evening approaches we watch sunset over the prairie and enjoy dinner at our lodgings prepared by ranch staff.

Evening: Free to walk on ranch property and reflect on the week's adventures.

Lodging: Calamus Outfitter at Switzer Ranch

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Depart From: Independent departures after morning viewing and driving back from Taylor to Kearney approximately 10:30 am.

Breakfast: Lodge hot breakfast after viewing

Morning: This morning we venture out early to witness the annual spring courtship rites of another elusive grassland species, the Sharp-tailed Grouse. It is remarkable to have displays of two species available for our viewing with such ease. It will be a great opportunity to compare the differences in behavior of the two species. The spring air is brisk, so we bundle up to drive out to another set of school bus blinds, and return again for a great hot breakfast. Killdeers call from the yard, and with luck we may have a Rough-legged Hawk pass by overhead. After breakfast, about 9 am, we will journey back to Kearney arriving about 10:30 am for independent departures.

Meals Included: Breakfast