(Crane Trust, Courtesy Photo)
GRAND ISLAND – Events ranging from programs to blind tours are underway at Crane Trust Nature and Visitors Center for the sandhill cranes migration.
Matt Fong, Director of Fundraising and Outreach, said that since November, the Crane Trust’s Science Team has been monitoring a group of approximately 40,000 sandhill Cranes that have overwintered on the Platte River.
“The Science Team began their aerial spring surveys Feb. 12, and we will see if any new cranes have arrived as part of the spring migration,” Fong said.
The Crane Trust Nature and Visitors Center is located just south of the Interstate 80 Alda interchange.
“We offer a variety of crane viewing opportunities for visitors. This includes both morning and evening riverfront blind tours to watch cranes as they roost in the river overnight. Daytime driving tours are available to see cranes in the fields. Tours for professional and amateur photographers are available. And VIP experiences that include morning and evening blind tours with overnight accommodations at Crane Trust are available. All of those tours can be booked on our website, cranetrust.org. If people aren’t able to make it to Central Nebraska, we also offer guided virtual crane tours 5 days per week in March for Crane Trust members,” Fong said.
To see sandhill cranes from vehicles, drivers are welcome to stop by the Nature and Visitor Center (9325 S Alda Road, Wood River) to pick up a driving map and talk with the Visitor Center staff about the best locations to view cranes. These locations change throughout the migration season,” Fong said.
Riverfront blind tours are offered. A trained guide leads people to one a prime viewing blind on the Platte River. Blind tours are offered in the early morning while the cranes roost on the river and in the evening when the birds return to the river to roost for the night. The tours are for people age 12 and up. Cost is $55 per participant, plus fees.
Daytime driving tours are available. Join guides on a 14-passenger touring bus to view cranes foraging in fields, prairies, and wet meadows. Disembark at key viewing spots to observe cranes feeding and interacting. Learn about crane behavior, local ecology, and wildlife viewing etiquette. Tours depart from the Nature and Visitor Center at 10 a.m. The tours are for people ages 6 and up. Cost is $35 per participant, plus fees.
Footbridge tours are available. After a short presentation, accompany your guide for a walk on a paved path to theprivate footbridge over the north channel of the Platte River. Enjoy a 360-degree open-air view of cranes in the sky, along with the sights and sounds of other migratory birds. Tours depart from the Nature and Visitor Center at 6:00 p.m. Tours are for people ages 12 and up. Cost is $15 per participant, plus fees.
