78 Nebraskaland • August-September 2025
THE LAST STOP
Sometimes, wildlife prompts a double take.
That happened last August when my eyes caught sight of
a pair of sandhill cranes in wheat stubble near Crow Butte in
northwestern Nebraska — yes, the Crow Butte featured in
this month's magazine.
Sandhill cranes are among Nebraska's most photographed
birds during their annual stopover in the Platte Valley during
spring, but not commonly seen in the Pine Ridge. Here, most
of the sandhill crane sightings happen during fall migration
when flocks are singing their familiar song thousands of feet
above.
The fall crane migration doesn't pick up until October, so
an ornithologist friend told me this was probably a pair that
failed to nest and was biding time moving around the region
prior to migration. Although cranes occasionally nest in
Nebraska, no young birds were near these two.
Unlike the cranes of so many Nebraska spring photographs,
these two featured remarkable rusty red plumage. Sandhill
cranes improve their camouflage during the nesting season
by preening with the mud of iron-rich soils in the north. Later
in the year, the red fades and the birds return to being mostly
gray.
As is often the case with wildlife, I wish I could ask them
where they've been.
According to a map I found online, one area not too far
away with soils of high iron content is west-central South
Dakota. With the ability to fly 400 miles per day, it's hard to
tell where they had been spending most of their time that
summer, though.
Regardless, I hope the pair had safe travels south, followed
by time on the Platte in spring and better luck nesting after
that.
A pair of sandhill cranes walk through wheat stubble in Dawes County on Aug. 9, 2024. JUSTIN HAAG, NEBRASKALAND
By Justin Haag
SUMMER CRANES
