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Migration of the Sandhill Cranes: A World-Class Experience |
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Program Number: |
7346RJ |
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| Start
and End Dates: |
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| Duration: |
5 nights |
| Location: |
Kearney, Nebraska
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| Price starting at: |
$925.00 - Price may vary based on date, departure city |
| Program Type:
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Birding
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Activity Level: |
t (see description) |
| Meals: |
13;
5 Breakfasts, 4 Lunches, 4 Dinners |
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| Meal
Options: |
Low Fat |
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The Central Flyway, a migration route following America’s Great Plains, is one of the most active birding regions in the Western Hemisphere. This environment supports the greatest birding diversity in the Midwest: 425 species travel through, 275 spend significant time and 90 species nest. Even in this environment, the migration of 600,000 Sandhill Cranes heading northward is a spectacular event. Expert lectures set the stage for observing the cranes, waterfowl, neo-tropicals and endangered species.
Highlights
• Observe Sandhill Cranes, magnificent birds with a wingspan of up to eight feet, up close from riverside viewing blinds.
• In the Platte River Basin, an environment of conservation wetlands, grasslands and farms, encounter some of the 145 species that have been identified here.
• Raptor Recovery Nebraska, where injured birds of prey recuperate and are released back to the wild will visit the group with a live raptor presentation.
Activity Particulars
Walking up to a half mile; some uneven terrain.
Coordinated by Mountains and Plains Institute.
Kearney
Kearney is located on the north bank of Nebraska’s Platte River. It takes its name from Fort Kearny, an Army outpost along the Oregon Trail, the historic east-west wagon route. Kearney calls itself the Sandhill Crane Capital of the World because each year more than 80 percent of the world’s population of these grand birds converges here mid-migration.
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Accommodations
Comfortable motel in centrally located Kearney. Meals include buffet breakfasts, some box lunches, and dinners in local restaurants.
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| Road Scholar Instructors | | These instructors are participating on at least one date of this program. Please note that changes may occur. | Tim Banks
| | Tim Banks graduated from the University of Wyoming with a bachelor’s in wildlife biology and a master’s in outdoor recreation. He served for many years as a police officer, retiring in 2006 as the Chief of Police of the University of Wyoming. Since retirement, Tim has pursued his love for birding and natural history. He served as president of the Laramie chapter of the Audubon Society for many years, and has conducted birding and ecology surveys for the Wyoming Fish and Game Department. | | | |
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