Sandhill Cranes on the Platte River at Rowe Sanctuary
Many thousands of cranes roost for the night on sandbars on the Platte River. Rowe Sanctuary, associated with the Audubon Society, has restored several miles of the river to its pre-dam habitat status by clearing brush from sandbars. This formerly was accomplished naturally by annual spring floods. At the sanctuary, there are three bird blinds, each accomodating about 25 people, which can be accessed by trails from the visitor center without alarming the birds roosted on the river. Observing 'tours' to the blinds begin at 6:30 am, and 6:30 pm (most of the photos here are from morning visits).
video clips: these are each about 10 Mb, so they take a while to download