Nebraskaland

Aug-Sept 2025 Nebraskaland

NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.

Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/1539911

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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

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