{"id":2925,"date":"2017-04-02T21:03:15","date_gmt":"2017-04-03T02:03:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/occamstypewriter.org\/stevecaplan\/?p=2925"},"modified":"2017-04-11T18:17:13","modified_gmt":"2017-04-11T23:17:13","slug":"back-to-the-cranes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occamstypewriter.org\/stevecaplan\/2017\/04\/02\/back-to-the-cranes\/","title":{"rendered":"Back to the cranes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although it feels almost treason-like to momentarily hold my tongue and write a blog\u00a0 unrelated to the war being waged on science and truth in the US, the annual crane-fest is as good a reason as any to distract oneself with nature’s wonders.<\/p>\n

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The sandhill cranes at the Iain Nicolson Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

It’s been over a decade since I last drove out west, about 2.5 h from Omaha, Nebraska, to view the spectacle of ~500,000 sandhill cranes congregating along the Platte River to feed, rest and bulk up before continuing their annual spring migration to the great white north.<\/p>\n

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During the day, these cranes feed on leftover corn from the harvest of the many farms in the area, but each night, they collect along the river, and eco-tourists (like me) can reserve a spot in a protected “blind” and view this incredible scene.<\/p>\n

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On the other hand, each morning (5 or 6 am), we can also reserve a spot at the blind to watch as the cranes noisily awake and begin their typical “lift-off” to head for the fields to feed.<\/p>\n

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