In early May, Dad and I
accompanied the Boulder Audubon Teen Naturalists on a trip to the
Nebraska Sandhills. We made the six-hour drive there to observe two
species of prairie birds, the Greater Prairie Chicken and the Sharp-tailed Grouse,
perform their mating dance. The male birds congregate on high, flat areas
of the prairie, called leks, to perform the dance. Because it was later in the season, there were
no female birds around. The males were only dancing on instinct.
Me standing next to an observation blind **
In order to observe the dance, we had to get up at 4:30 am and hike in the dark to a small blind on the prairie.Once we found the blind, we were not supposed to leave it until all the birds had flown off, around 7:30 am, to keep from disturbing them. Some say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I am wrapping up the writing here. Enjoy the photos!
Greater Prairie Chicken
The Prairie Chicken Dance
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Sharp-tailed Grouse
The feet stomping of the Sharp-tailed Grouse
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"Caka-wobble"
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More Sights from Nebraska
Sunrise from the blind
Ring-Necked Pheasant **
Nesting Trumpeter Swan
White-faced Ibis **
Trumpeter Swans
Yellow-headed Blackbird **
Great Horned Owl Nest
An Imperial Bald Eagle **
Grub-grabbing Orange Crowned Warbler
Strutting Wild Turkey **
Vigilant Brown-headed Cowbird
Image Credits: Eva Getman, ** Dan Getman
A special thanks to Steve Jones, and the Boulder County Audubon Society and its Teen Naturalists, for sharing your knowledge and love of birds on all our amazing trips! 😃
Below are a couple of links with additional information about Prairie Chickens and Sharp-tailed Grouse, if my readers would like to learn more:
Every Spring, for the past 10,000 years, Nebraska has been host to a special event: the Sandhill Crane Migration. The cranes winter in Mexico and Texas, then migrate north in the Spring where they congregate on a stretch of the Platte River that is only 80 miles long. Between mid-February and early April, over half a million cranes stop in Nebraska to rest and refuel before they continue north once again, spreading out on their summer nesting grounds from Siberia to central Canada. It is considered one of the greatest animal migrations in the world!
This year, at the end of March, my Dad and I drove four hours to join other members of the Boulder County Audubon Society in celebrating the Sandhill Crane migration. It was my first trip to Nebraska, and when we got there, I was amazed! I had never seen a place quite like it; hills, hills, hills, as far as you could see, and each one dotted with juniper trees. I later learned that when settlers first came to Nebraska there were no trees, only grass and sky. I enjoyed imagining what it must have been like then...
When we first saw the cranes...
The cranes in flight...
After we found our hotel, my Dad and I went exploring. We were hoping to see a few cranes, but we were astounded when we found hundreds and hundreds in a field! That was more than we ever expected to see. And, they were so beautiful! It was magical to watch them soaring in waves above us and then landing all together. The cranes were a little bit skittish so Dad and I stayed back and photographed them from a distance. While we were admiring the cranes, we saw other animals as well. Once, a hawk flew right over our heads!
That evening all the naturalists (and junior naturalists) got together to have a pot luck. The food was delicious and the feeling of unity was amazing! We were all there for the same reason; we love birds.
The Rough-legged Hawk that flew over heads...
The awesome sunset at the end of the potluck!
The next morning, Dad and I got up before dawn to see the cranes wake up from their nightly roosts on the Platte River. We spent quite some time in the dark just listening to the cranes' morning calls. At first light, we saw several islands in the distance covered from head to foot in cranes! There must have been several thousand of them waiting patiently for everyone to wake up. Finally, the most distant crane island took to the air and the other islands followed suit; it was like a blanket being shaken from one end. You could almost get lost in the sound of the cranes calling and singing at the top of their voices. All of a sudden, we realized that there were no islands where the cranes had been, only open water! They hadn't been on land at all; they had just been standing very close together in the shallow river! Ha! Ha! Ha!
The cranes taking off...
**
After we watched the Sandhill Cranes take off, we took a hike in a local historical park. My favorite site was an old schoolhouse with authentic furnishings. I thought it looked exactly like the schoolhouses described in the Little House Books.
The schoolhouse at the hike...
When we got back from the hike, we drove through Lewellen, the quaint town we were staying in. We got to eat lunch at a cafe/art gallery called The Most Unlikely Place, which is now one of my favorite places. It served very tasty soups and delectable ice cream. The whole place was full of art, everything from little earrings to a two-foot-high seal with rockers on its feet! Upstairs, they had a framing shop for the various paintings around the room.
While we were eating, Steve Jones, our guide for the weekend and co-founder of the Teen Naturalists, gave an informative talk about the Nebraska Sandhills. He described the animals he's seen there, the places he's been, and what to expect when we visited the area for our next Teen Naturalist trip. When we were done eating and Steve had "taken his bow," Dad and I packed up and hit the road.
I think the most magical moment of the drive home was seeing the mountains. I had not realized how much I missed them until I got back. Nebraska is one of the most amazing places I've ever been and I can't wait to go there again... but it still is not quite as awesome as home.💜
Image Credits: Eva Getman, ** Dan Getman
Below are links to additional information if you'd like to learn more about Sandhill Cranes and their migration:
As it happens, Elk do them all! Once a year from (about) mid-September to mid-October is the Elk Bugling season. It takes place up in the mountains surrounded by the most spectacular views. During this time, Elk look for a mate. Bugling is what male Elk, or bucks, do to find a mate. A bugle is sort of a deep "wwwwww" then a high-pitched "ooooooooo" trailing off into a series of very deep "wook, wook, wook" noises.
Last month, Mom, Dad, and I went up to Estes Park to see the Elk bugle. I felt really lucky when we drove around the corner and spotted a group of Elk grazing and bugling. The Elk were so majestic and larger than you would think. I didn't want to get out of the car at first because it felt like intruding. Everything was so silent, the only real sound was the Elk bugles. After a little while, the Elk herd moved on and we visited a second herd, the one in the photo I called "The Gathering." I remember feeling like there was something I didn't know; like there was more to the Elk bugling then I thought. As it got dark, we started to head home. On the way back, a lovely moon started to rise...
