28 Nebraskaland • March 2024
From my blind, I had a narrow
fi eld of view of a short stretch of the
stream, and none of the birds I saw
were actually "in" the woods as much
as next to them, walking within a few
yards of thickets and grass-choked
deadfall. I had, however, seen signs of
cranes using areas with more cover.
Forsberg had a diff erent view and
watched birds, after they dropped
into the opening, walk up and down
the stream, even through wooded
sections. He also saw them wander to
and from the adjacent prairie. I didn't
see that movement from my blind, but
it could have been happening, as there
were birds in the prairie to the south
and the pasture to the north each time
I visited.
Cranes that spend the day in fi elds
and meadows along the Platte might
land close to a road, but they don't
typically stay there when a car passes.
The closest road to the section of
stream where I spent my time is 200
yards to the north, and it is traveled by
far fewer crane watchers than others
in the region during March. That alone
could explain why these birds like
the spot. While working on his book,
Great Plains: America's Lingering Wild,
Forsberg said the places he saw the
most wildlife weren't always the best
habitat. "You know where they were?
They were in the places that were the
most quiet and had the least amount
of us," he said.
Sleeping
So were the cranes I watched
sleeping? Anne Lacy, Director of
Eastern Flyway Programs with the
International Crane Foundation in
Baraboo, Wisconsin, has been studying
cranes since 2000 and uses that term
loosely. "I want to be careful about
A crane rests next to the stream, bill tucked under a wing, balancing on one leg
with its other tucked beneath its breast feathers.
