24 Nebraskaland • March 2024
with crane tracks, and the grass with
feathers and down.
On both of my visits in mid- to late
March, many cranes had already left
their roost on the Platte a half mile
north of me and were feeding in crop
fi elds and wet meadows on both sides
of the stream when I arrived at sunrise.
They continued to leave the river in
waves as I set up my blind on the south
bank of the creek and settled in for the
day.
Cranes started arriving late in the
morning on my fi rst visit and early in
the afternoon on the second, dropping
in a few at a time at fi rst and then in
bunches. I watched as they loafed in
the grass and preened their feathers.
A few at a time, they walked down to
the stream to drink or probe the mud
Cranes scratch their heads as they preen in the creekbottom.
A crane tips its beak down to its neck as it rests in the grass along the stream.
