Happy Earth Day 🌎
Each spring, Sandhill Cranes bring thousands of people to the Central Platte River Valley.
By protecting and restoring the habitats they depend on, we also support hundreds of other species that rely on these wet meadows, prairies, and river systems year-round.
That’s why cranes matter, and why this work continues long after they’re gone. We are just one part of a world-wide conservation effort.
Thank you for helping protect and restore the world’s ecosystems in your own way 🧡
#cranetrust #earthday #ecosystem #birds #conservation
Yesterday, Will Hamson, Saunders Conservation Fellow, noticed a white bird hanging out with our bison.
This was a Cattle Egret. It was seen pecking around the ground and occasionally at the bison shortly after a calf was born.
In doing some research, we found that this behavior has been documented before.
Calving sites attract flies quickly, and egrets are drawn to this food source. They aren’t targeting the calf or cow, but rather the insects that come with the birth event.
Occasionally, they may even peck at insects on the calf or cow. This behavior is generally thought to be either neutral or mildly beneficial in helping remove flies, though in some cases it can become irritating (as seen in this video).
The bison cow ignored the egret mostly and once irritated, shooed the egret away from herself and the calf. This happened multiple times.
It is incredible to see birds, mammals, and insects interacting, offering a rare glimpse into the prairie and wet meadow’s true complexity.
📸 @mturbanski
#cranetrust #bison #buffalo #birds #insect
Ahhh… birding paradise 😌
Come for the cranes- stay to fill your life list with everything else riding the Central Flyway this March.
We have seen these additional birds in the last week:
Bufflehead • Hooded Merganser • American Coot • American Robin • Red-winged Blackbird • Greater/Lesser Scaup • Western Meadowlark • Ring-necked Duck • Whooping Crane • Redhead • Green-winged Teal • American Kestrel • Red-tailed Hawk • American Tree Sparrow
March 2026 crane viewing experiences available with the link in our bio or below!
/crane-viewing/
🌙 VIP Overnight Experiences
🌅 Morning & Evening Riverfront Blinds (now heated)
🌉 Evening Footbridge Tours
🚗 Daytime Driving Tours
📸 Photography Tours & Workshops
#cranetrust #migration #birds #sandhillcrane #nebraska
Our first Whooping Crane of migration season has joined us for Virtual at Crane Trust! 🤍 (recorded this evening)
Our Virtual Programs Producer, Kylee Warren, brings the Platte River to you through our 24/7 livestream camera and offers virtual crane tours from now through March 29.
Explore our Virtual Programming at the link in our bio!
Video from our Virtual Program with Kylee and Matt Urbanski in our VIP blinds.
#cranetrust #conservation #whoopingcrane #migration #nebraska
Had the pleasure to see burrowing owls in three very different habitats this last year.
1. In the prairie at the Crane Trust
2. At Wind Cave National Park, surrounded by Prairie Dogs
3. A Bomgaars lawn, with one resident Prairie Dog
One requirement was having access to holes. At the Crane Trust, this was most likely provided by thirteen-lined ground squirrels. Being a smaller animal, any owls would have to expand the burrow, kind of like how we buy run down houses and fix them up. At Wind Cave and Bomgaars, the prairie dog provided old burrows needing minimal work.
A pair of coyotes from Wind Cave National Park were attempting to predate Prairie Dogs, but payed no attention to this resident Owl.
#burrowingowl #prairiedog #groundsquirrel #canon #wildlifephotography #natgeoyourshot #birds
Interactions like this are a natural part of migration on the Platte River in spring and fall.
Yesterday evening, a Bald Eagle was assessing our Sandhill Crane roost, a behavior we see when eagles look for vulnerable individuals. The surrounding cranes quickly responded, showing how alert and coordinated they can be during these moments. Sandhill Cranes rely heavily on group vigilance and collective defense, often vocalizing and moving together to discourage potential threats.
By watching these behaviors, we gain a clearer picture of the challenges cranes navigate during migration and how they work together to stay safe.
#cranetrust #wildlifephotography #sandhillcrane #baldeagle #animalbehavior #birds #conservation
Paper-thin wings carry Monarch butterflies 2,500–3,000 miles south, where they congregate in Mexico’s Oyamel Fir Forests to overwinter.
Taking these photographs, I thought maybe all our wings are stronger than they seem.
These Monarchs were roosting in trees to regulate their temperature, save energy, find shelter from winds, and seek protection from predators. One by one, they gathered in evening trees, sometimes fighting for branches. When the sun rose, wings began to open, warming for the day ahead.
September 5th - thanks to @kylee.m.warren
#monarch #wildlifephotography #butterfly #natgeoyourshot #canon #insect #migration
Went on a trip to the Badlands, a destination of surprising scale.
The landscape transformed a 2000 lb bison into an ant, a speck, something unrecognizable.
I guess this is where our perspectives shift. How can our national mammal go unnoticed? The bison is a lumbering giant, pulling the pride of our lands from one state to the next. Eye to eye, we could never miss the significance of such a creature.
Maybe we pass significance every day without meeting its gaze.
#bison #buffalo #badlandsnationalpark
#rockbrookcamera #canon #natgeoyourshot
Red-winged Blackbirds are also known to flock with Starlings, and sometimes Grackles.
Hope you enjoy watching this and keep an eye out, there’s still a lot of cool flocking happening!
#wildlifephotography #blackbirds #wild #natgeoyourshot #canon
