26 NEBRASKAland • MARCH 2016
So do you want to just look at each of
them?"
"We want the best one," said one of
the other men.
This stuck in my craw just a little bit.
Yes, I know they had a large pile of
camera equipment and wanted to use
this opportunity to get the best crane
photos they could, and I also knew they
weren't locals so this was a big deal for
them. But when kids are around, we
have to do our best at spending a few
minutes to think about what will make
them nature lovers long-term, whether
they're our own kids or not.
Knowing the other photographers'
desires, we would have gladly
bypassed the "best" spot so they could
get their photographs. However, after
that comment, I wasn't so sure.
We looked at the three blind options,
and, way in the distance to the west,
cranes were starting to arrive for their
afternoon roost.
"We'll take this one," I jumped
in, pointing to the far western blind,
knowing exactly what was about
to happen. Unbeknownst to the
strangers with us, I knew that cranes
are confidence birds, like a lot of
Sandhill cranes return to the Platte River near sunset.
