Crane Season

Sandhill Cranes. Photo: Photo: Georgia Wilson Viera Rockledge.

Every March and April, over a million Sandhill Cranes converge on the Platte River Valley in central Nebraska to fuel up before continuing north to their nesting grounds. Audubon’s Rowe Sanctuary is at the heart of this magnificent crane staging area.

Rowe Sanctuary offers daily guided tours at sunrise and sunset to view the spectacular concentrations of Sandhill Cranes on their river roosts from new discovery stations strategically placed along the Platte River close to Sandhill Crane roosts. Nature enthusiasts, bird lovers, and photographers will have multiple ways to experience this historic migration.  

Reservations for 2025 Crane Season will open in January 2025.

Guided Crane Experience
Crane Season

Guided Crane Experience

The Guided Crane Viewing Experience provides guests with the opportunity to observe thousands of cranes as they fly into the Platte River at dusk, and lift off from the river at dawn.

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Guided Crane Photography Experience
Crane Season

Guided Crane Photography Experience

The Guided Crane Photography Experience provides photographers with the opportunity to capture world-class shots of cranes on the Platte River in a small group setting.

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Overnight Photography Experience
Crane Season

Overnight Photography Experience

The Overnight Crane Photography Experience provides guests with the opportunity to spend the night in a viewing blind on the banks of the Platte River and photograph thousands of cranes as they fly into the river at dusk, and lift off at dawn.

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Group Tours

We offer special consideration for large groups of 10 or more visitors, such as school groups, non-profit and community organizations, and company trips. 2025 Guided Crane Experiences will be offered March 4- April 12. General registration for these tours to our viewing blinds opens on Wednesday, January 8. Click here for more!

 

Virtual Crane Tours

Enjoy the cranes from the comfort of your own home with the virtual crane tour. The program will be led by a Rowe Sanctuary staff member who will begin the program with Crane Behavior Basics. Participants will learn about common behaviors cranes display along the river as well as conservation efforts by Rowe Sanctuary to help preserve the critical Platte River ecosystem.

After learning about cranes, participants will join the staff member in viewing a live stream of the cranes coming in to land on the river for the evening. While watching the live stream, the staff member will act as a tour guide and will point out any behaviors seen and answer questions from participants. Registration information coming soon - check out rowe.audubon.org/events.

Online Crane Cam

Audubon’s Rowe Sanctuary features one of the most intimate and spectacular views of the sandhill crane migration that occurs along the Platte River in Nebraska. The five mile stretch of river covered by this camera is one of the most densely populated sandhill crane roosts in the world with 100,000-200,000 cranes at the height of migration. Groups of cranes stay around three weeks once they arrive to this location and the best times to view them on the river is early mornings and evenings. The morning liftoff either happens slowly, with smaller groups of cranes leaving as the sun continues to rise, or more frequently with tens of thousands of sandhill cranes leaving all at once in a cloud that blots out the sky. Sandhill cranes return to the river in the evening to spend the night on the river’s shallow sandbars. Groups of cranes pour into the river silhouetted by the setting sun as they dance and socialize before falling asleep. 

Watch the migration from our free online Crane Cam!

Rowe Sanctuary Trails

Crane SeasonMarch and April

During Crane Season, we close Rowe trails to protect the birds from disturbance while on the roost. Visitors will not be able to see cranes on the river from Rowe’s trails. 

Open trails will only be available from the time that the cranes leave the river in the morning (usually around 10:00 am) until 4:00 pm. During Crane Season access to the grounds is restricted outside of these times. Trails may be closed due to construction, but will be clearly marked as to whether they are open or closed.

Outside of Crane Season, Rowe’s trails and parking lot are open from dawn to dusk every day.

Keep checking back for crane season updates or subscribe to our eNews!

Birds of Rowe Sanctuary

Sandhill Crane

Latin:  Antigone canadensis

Illustration for Sandhill Crane

Whooping Crane

Latin:  Grus americana

Illustration for Whooping Crane

Piping Plover

Latin:  Charadrius melodus

Illustration for Piping Plover

Least Tern

Latin:  Sternula antillarum

Illustration for Least Tern

Bald Eagle

Latin:  Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Illustration for Bald Eagle

Bobolink

Latin:  Dolichonyx oryzivorus

Illustration for Bobolink

Dickcissel

Latin:  Spiza americana

Illustration for Dickcissel

Bell's Vireo

Latin:  Vireo bellii

Illustration for Bell's Vireo

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