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| MUSAP in Nebraska |
After taking a break from blog posting ~ I’m back! I have a lot more to write about, but this is an overview to pique your interest.
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| sandhill cranes |
I just finished participating in my first Road Scholar program. “Road Scholar is is the name of the programs offered by Elderhostel, the not-for-profit world leader in lifelong learning.” I was in the group for Migration of the Sandhill Cranes: A World-Class Experience. It was wonderful ~ if you want a once in a life-time experience with birding then you should consider visiting Nebraska in March as the sandhill cranes pass through the area.
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| sandhill cranes |
As you would expect I have hundreds of photos to share, but most will have to wait. This morning I will post a few photos that should provide you with a sense of my experience.
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| sandhill cranes |
Day One started with an early morning visit to a birding blind along the Platte River at Rowe Sanctuary to see Crane Rise as the sandhill cranes awakened and flew off to spend their day in the nearby corn fields.
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| in the birding blind |
Day Two was spent driving around the Kearney, Nebraska area in search of birds.
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| looking for Prairie Chickens |
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| birds in Holdredge Park |
That evening was our free evening so I set off with my camera to look for a place to take some sunset photos. I ended up at the walking bridge over the Platte River in Ft Kearney so I could see the cranes coming in to roost as well as the sunset.
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| sunset |
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| sandhill cranes at sun rise |
We went to the Visitor Center and were treated to a presentation by Blake and Vickie Hatfield from Fontenelle Forest Raptor Recovery. They brought birds that can’t be released back into the wild.
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| talons |
We learned about Jack Sparrow, kestrel
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| kestrel |
Cinnamon red tailed hawk
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| red tailed hawk |
Oberon, great horned owl
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| great horned owl |
Sundance turkey vulture
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| black vulture |
The evening of Day Three had us back in the birding blind at Rowe to see the cranes fly in.
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| sandhill cranes |
Day Four started at Fort Kearney. We met with Prof Lettie Reichart and 2 of her students. We saw birds that had been trapped (gently) in mist nets. Lettie told us about the process of netting the birds, then recording information about them and banding them.
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| juncos |
We were given the opportunity to hold goldfinches and robins that had been in the mist nets.
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| holding goldfinches |
We ended Day Four and our time together watching the sun set over the Platte River from the Fort Kearney Bridge.
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| sandhill cranes |
I need to mention that our trip leaders, Bill & Tim, were wonderful.
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| Bill and Tim |
There’s always a risk when signing up to spend time with a group of people you don’t know - our group was a delightful mix of strangers who quickly became friends.
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| birding |
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| MUSAP at sunset |
March 2015
Hi Martha,
ReplyDeleteJust want to thank you for posting these photos. You have captured the essence of our trip!! Hope to meet up with you again on another Road Scholar trip. Jeanne M.