In March 2025, a group of graduate and undergraduate students from North Dakota State University, including several members of the NDSU Birding Club, made the trek from North Dakota to Nebraska to view the world’s largest congregation of Sandhill Cranes.

Rowe Sanctuary is a 3,000-acre property along the Platte River in central Nebraska. This stretch of river is wide and shallow, and contains many open sandbars that cranes use to rest along their migration journey. Cranes disperse and forage in agricultural fields during the day, then return to the river in mass numbers at sunset. Over a million cranes pass through during each migration season!

The group’s first stop was at the Iain Nicolson Audubon Center, a newly renovated visitor center complete with educational displays, classrooms, and a beautiful view of the Platte River. Here, the group observed several species of waterfowl and shorebirds. The surrounding trails and viewing platforms provided excellent views of not only spring migrants, but also late winter birds like the American Tree Sparrow.

The highlight of the trip, without a doubt, was the crane viewing. Audubon provides visitors with the opportunity to see giant flocks of Sandhill Cranes as they land to roost for the night.

The process included checking in at the visitor center, a demonstration by the volunteers of the sanctuary, and finally walking out to the blinds.

Each viewing blind is equipped with a huge window, seating area, and a warming room for those that don’t want to face the cold wind for three hours. After arriving to the blind, the volunteer guide gave a brief reminder of the rules to maximize safety and comfort for both the observers and the birds.

After around 30 minutes, the first group of cranes came in from the northeast. It was remarkable to see such a large congregation. This flock of well over a hundred cranes, however, was just the beginning. As minutes turned into hours, seemingly endless amounts of Sandhills poured in and landed on the sandbars in the middle of the river. Those brave enough to try to count estimated that the group saw over 70,000 cranes that night. The rest of us simply stood in silent awe of the confluence of birds before us. As if the sight of thousands of crane silhouettes in the sunset wasn’t enough, their deafening chorus echoed through the prairie.

The walk back from the blind was filled with hushed chatter marveling at the experience. Many photos and videos were taken, but none could even come close to the novelty and splendor of being there.

By Jacob Meier, NDSU Birding College Chapter President