{"id":24208,"date":"2015-04-03T14:19:16","date_gmt":"2015-04-03T19:19:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog-vm.journeyoflight.com\/?p=24208"},"modified":"2015-04-03T14:19:16","modified_gmt":"2015-04-03T19:19:16","slug":"trip-report-2015-spring-sandhill-crane-migration-in-nebraska","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog-vm.journeyoflight.com\/2015\/04\/03\/trip-report-2015-spring-sandhill-crane-migration-in-nebraska\/","title":{"rendered":"Trip Report: 2015 Spring Sandhill Crane Migration in Nebraska"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Every March I head to central Nebraska to witness an amazing sight, the migration of 500,000 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.journeyoflight.com\/photo-gallery\/sandhill%20cranes\" target=\"_blank\">Sandhill Cranes<\/a>. I watch as these graceful and elegant creatures glide effortlessly through the sky. Every dawn they lift off from a 100 mile stretch of the Platte River to feed in the nearby fields. Every dusk they come back to the river. They stay there overnight in the middle of the low running channels, the water an alarm system alerting them to potential predators. Their call is distinctive. One can hear them coming from miles away, their collective chorus signaling a tradition that dates back millions of years, the migration north in the spring.<\/p>\n<p>Here is this years collection of images from my experience:<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24219\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24219\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.journeyoflight.com\/photo\/flight-in-the-morning-light\/sandhill,cranes\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-24219\" src=\"http:\/\/blog-vm.journeyoflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/8T7A3424-sandhill-crane-flying-low.jpg\" alt=\"A Sandhill Crane glides through the sky above the Platte River in Central Nebraska in the warm morning light.\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-24219\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Flight in the Morning Light<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24218\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24218\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-24218\" src=\"http:\/\/blog-vm.journeyoflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/8T7A2959-crane-takes-flight-sunrise.jpg\" alt=\"A Sandhill Crane gets ready to soar through the sky above the Platte River in Central Nebraska in the warm morning light.\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-24218\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Getting Ready to Soar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24217\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24217\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.journeyoflight.com\/photo\/twirling-and-dancing\/sandhill,cranes\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-24217\" src=\"http:\/\/blog-vm.journeyoflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/8T7A2826-dancing-one.jpg\" alt=\"A Sandhill Crane twirls an dances in the early morning sunlight on a sandbar in the Platte River in Nebraska.\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-24217\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Twirling and Dancing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24209\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24209\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.journeyoflight.com\/photo\/leucistic-sandhill-crane\/sandhill,cranes\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-24209\" src=\"http:\/\/blog-vm.journeyoflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/8T7A0342-leucistic-sandhill-crane.jpg\" alt=\"A leucistic Sandhill Crane wades through the waters of the Platte River at dusk.\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-24209\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Leucistic Sandhill Crane<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24216\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24216\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/blog-vm.journeyoflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/8T7A4729-sandhill-crane-taking-off.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-24216\" src=\"http:\/\/blog-vm.journeyoflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/8T7A4729-sandhill-crane-taking-off.jpg\" alt=\"Sandhill Crane Takes Flight\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-24216\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sandhill Crane Takes Flight<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24215\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24215\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.journeyoflight.com\/photo\/flight-illuminated-by-morning-light\/sandhill,cranes\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-24215\" src=\"http:\/\/blog-vm.journeyoflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/8T7A3086-sandhill-crane-banking.jpg\" alt=\"A Sandhill Crane banks above the Platte River in Central Nebraska in the warm morning light.\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-24215\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Flight Illuminated by Morning Light<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24214\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24214\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/blog-vm.journeyoflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/8T7A3628-two-sandhill-cranes-flying.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-24214\" src=\"http:\/\/blog-vm.journeyoflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/8T7A3628-two-sandhill-cranes-flying.jpg\" alt=\"Two Take Flight\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-24214\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Two Take Flight<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24213\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24213\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.journeyoflight.com\/photo\/turning-toward-the-sun\/sandhill,cranes\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-24213\" src=\"http:\/\/blog-vm.journeyoflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/8T7A4621-sandhill-crane-banking.jpg\" alt=\"Sandhill Crane turns toward the sun above the Platte River in Central Nebraska in the warm morning light.\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-24213\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Turning Toward the Sun<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24212\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24212\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/blog-vm.journeyoflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/8T7A4611-sandhill-crane-pair-in-flight.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-24212\" src=\"http:\/\/blog-vm.journeyoflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/8T7A4611-sandhill-crane-pair-in-flight.jpg\" alt=\"Two Sandhill Cranes Soaring\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-24212\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Two Sandhill Cranes Soaring<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24211\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24211\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/blog-vm.journeyoflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/8T7A4326-sandhill-crane-flight-pano.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-24211\" src=\"http:\/\/blog-vm.journeyoflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/8T7A4326-sandhill-crane-flight-pano.jpg\" alt=\"A Sandhill Crane Soars High.\" width=\"900\" height=\"412\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-24211\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Soaring High<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_24210\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24210\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.journeyoflight.com\/photo\/two-taking-flight\/sandhill,crane\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-24210\" src=\"http:\/\/blog-vm.journeyoflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/8T7A5085-two-sandhills-take-flight.jpg\" alt=\"Two Sandhill Cranes take off from the Platte River. Each February through April hundreds of thousands of cranes migrate through the Platte River Valley in central Nebraska.\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-24210\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Two Taking Flight<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every March I head to central Nebraska to witness an amazing sight, the migration of 500,000 Sandhill Cranes. I watch as these graceful and elegant creatures glide effortlessly through the sky. Every dawn they lift off from a 100 mile stretch of the Platte River to feed in the nearby &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24219,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[130,20,29,138,44],"tags":[186],"class_list":["post-24208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nature","category-nebraska","category-photo-friday","category-sandhill-cranes","category-spring","tag-wildlife","column","twocol","has-thumbnail"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog-vm.journeyoflight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24208"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog-vm.journeyoflight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog-vm.journeyoflight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog-vm.journeyoflight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog-vm.journeyoflight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24208"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/blog-vm.journeyoflight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24208\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog-vm.journeyoflight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24219"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog-vm.journeyoflight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24208"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog-vm.journeyoflight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24208"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog-vm.journeyoflight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}