SPRING!
It’s official!
But how could we not notice all the recent signs of the changing seasons – from longer days to cheerful cardinals to muddy roads to ice jams to moths at the window to song sparrows and red-wings and flocks of robins. Even a wooly bear.
The subtle signs set the mood – but we almost overdosed on the sights and sounds of the season on a recent trip to Nebraska’s Platte River valley between Grand Island and Kearney, where the sandhill crane migration is in full force. It’s a world-class spectacle – no doubt about it. Our 5-year-old grandson was not exaggerating when he breathlessly told his Mom that we saw (and heard!) “thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands” of the magnificent birds. (And his 7-year-old brother tried to photograph nearly every one!) We could see or hear cranes almost continually during the parts of three days we spent along the Platte. The birds were continually flying overhead or feeding in bottomland fields and pastures. Lots of geese, too – snows, Canadas, and white-fronts.
If you’ve never seen the show, consider the trip. It’s amazing. We first experienced the crane migration more than 35 years ago, but we’re ready to go back tomorrow. Highly recommended! Here’s a good link for more info:
http://www.rowesanctuary.org/