Migration Magic in Nebraska Skies

What do you picture when someone mentions rural Nebraska?  For me, it was classic American scenes of small-town life and farmhouses along dusty roads.  What I didn’t picture was a birder’s paradise.  

Then I learned that, every spring, hundreds of thousands of sandhill cranes funnel through western Nebraska in one of the world’s last great migrations.  Feeling like I stumbled on a secret that only locals and die-hard birders know about, I had to go see for myself.

Is it really a secret if 700,000 of your (feathered) friends already know about it?

Every year between mid-February and mid-April, most of the world’s sandhill crane population migrates north from their wintering grounds in southern U.S. and northern Mexico through a narrow bottle-neck in Nebraska’s Platte River Valley.  There, the cranes stop to recharge for a few weeks before tackling the next long leg of their trip. By summer, they’ll be in Canada, Alaska and even Siberia for their breeding season.

When I visited in late March, there were almost 700,000 sandhill cranes estimated to be in the Platte River Valley!   

In the early morning, sandhill cranes take off in big waves from the Platte River. © 2021 Elizabeth Acevedo.

Action-packed times on the Platte River

Around sunset, huge groups of cranes start arriving in wave after wave, landing in the Platte’s shallow areas to spend the night. By the time they settle in, tens of thousands of cranes can be in just one spot. Where we were on the river, it was estimated that about 50,000 cranes landed for the night.

If nothing disturbs them, they’ll rest there together until the morning when they head off to neighboring corn fields to feed. The morning takeoff can happen gradually in small groups or all at once in one giant, jaw-dropping exodus.

Ready to get their day started, sandhill cranes leave in a group lift off from the Platte River. © 2021 Elizabeth Acevedo.

Where was I during all this drama? Hiding out in photo blinds

It’s a dream for a wildlife photographer or bird lover to have a front row view as tens of thousands of sandhill cranes land on the river at sunset and fly off around sunrise. But the nightly roost is when the cranes get some much needed rest. They are wary and easily scared off by humans, which is understandable as this is the only place on their migration route where they aren’t hunted. So, to have a great view of sandhill cranes on the river without disrupting their rest time, we got into photo blinds. 

Blind at Crane Trust on Platte River. © 2021 Elizabeth Acevedo.

Blind at Rowe Sanctuary on Platte River. © 2021 Elizabeth Acevedo.

Two of the main conservation organizations, Iain Nicholson Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary and Crane Trust, offer photo or viewing blinds on the banks of the Platte River.   For our small group tour with Summit Workshops (which I highly recommend!), our leaders Michael Forsberg and Chris Steppig reserved blinds for us to use in the mornings and evenings.

With years of experience photographing cranes, Mike and Chris shared a ton of crane knowledge with us, including how to keep a low profile in the blinds. In the afternoon, we got there long before the cranes began flying in and we snuck out in darkness after they had settled on the river. The morning routine was the same, just in reverse. We wore dark or muted colors, stayed quiet in the blind on the trails and, after dark, used only red light.

I don’t doubt that the cranes were aware of the bunch of humans staring out at them from wooden boxes. But, by doing our best to lay low, they weren’t bothered by us, at least not enough to leave the river.

Those country roads that I expected … led to more cranes. 

Daytime was for driving around small country roads to see a different part of crane life. The corn fields are where the birds build up their reserves by feeding on old grain left from last season’s crops, insects and even small mammals. Plus, they hang out with their families and friends, teach their young, and do their famous crane dances to show off for their mates and rivals.

Sandhill cranes dancing in the Nebraska corn fields. © 2021 Elizabeth Acevedo.

The quiet time sitting in my car surrounded by sprawling farmland just watching the cranes go about their day had a peaceful charm that I liked just as much as the more dramatic sunsets and sunrises on the river.

Young sandhill crane foraging in corn field. © 2021 Elizabeth Acevedo.

Backroad near Kearney, Nebraska (shot on iPhone). © 2021 Elizabeth Acevedo.

Sandhill cranes flying over Nebraska farmland in morning light. © 2021 Elizabeth Acevedo.

So if you’ve been dreaming of witnessing one of the world’s great wildlife migrations, put Nebraska on your short list of places to visit!

The F-Stop Kashmir UL - my favorite photo backpack

Photo credit: © 2018 Michael D. Brown

Update - August 2020: I have had plenty of opportunities to travel with the Kashmir UL now, and I still love it. Like any camera bag, it isn’t perfect but is the best fit that I have found so far for my frame and lets me carry a lot of heavy gear with relative ease. Read on for more details and the other packs I tried …

I admit that I am a little bit obsessed with finding the perfect camera backpack. Even though I know it does not exist, the search is SO fun! 

For years, I used an older model Lowepro side-entry backpack that was great for short photography outings but lacked the capacity needed for longer photo trips. What I really liked about that pack though was how well it fit my back. Later, I added the F-Stop Ajna 40 liter backpack, which I like a lot and easily holds what I need.  But the Ajna is not my go-to bag because, although it is pretty comfortable when carrying a lot of weight, I find it to be a little too tall for my frame (I’m just shy of 5’4”).

In this picture, the Ajna’s top compartment is empty but you can see the height of the backpack frame reaches well above my neck. The frame is great when just carrying the bag, but it can get in the way if I try to take photos with the pack on and I want to have the option to do that, especially when traveling.

A recent solo trip to Iceland gave me a reason to try to find the medium-sized backpack missing from my stash.  I tried out the F-Stop Kashmir UL (ultra-light), which is designed for female photographers but holds only 30 liters, the Lowepro Protactic 450 AW, a medium pack with a completely different design, and kept the Ajna (40 liter capacity) in the running.

These were the contenders …

The F-Stop Kashmir UL (ultra-light, 30L), the Lowepro Protactic 450 AW, and the F-Stop Ajna (40L capacity) in side-by-side view.

And I did a little test packing …

Kashmir, Protactic 450AW, Ajna camera bags and most of the gear I intended to bring. I also added two external hard drives and a laptop.

Gear packed into the Ajna with the removable large slope ICU (internal camera unit).

After testing the bags locally, the Lowepro was out of the running.  It is a really nice camera bag but, for me, the straps were not as comfortable as the other two bags, especially when it was packed full.  Also, I often have my camera set up with a Canon 100-400ii with a tripod collar and sometimes a L-bracket.  It was a bit of a struggle taking that configuration in and out of the bag from the top or side access points. 

Between the two F-Stop bags, for Iceland, I opted to try the Kashmir with the removable large slope ICU, which is inside the Ajna bag in the photos above. The Kashmir’s minimal weight and better fit won me over.  I did worry that its smaller capacity would be a problem.  In test packing, jamming the big ICU into it left only a little room for other travel or field items, like a rain jacket, gloves, snacks, etc.  Also, the Kashmir has surprisingly few zipped pockets, which is a drawback.   

But I was worrying for nothing because the Kashmir worked really well on my trip. 

Although its shoulder straps were slightly less hearty as those on the Ajna, I found the Kashmir to be incredibly comfortable when packed to the brim with heavy gear.  I likely overloaded the pack using the full, large slope ICU, shoving all the little extra items in the top and outside pockets, and occasionally attaching a tripod to the outside straps, but it held up just fine.  

And I was so glad not to have one more ounce with me than I did.  I was traveling alone and wanted to manage my bags without too much struggle.  [That goal decidedly was NOT accomplished … oh, there were luggage struggles but not because of the Kashmir.]  Plus, because of its size, I didn’t feel as conspicuous walking through the airport or other public places as I did when I traveled with the Ajna in the past.  Although the Ajna probably fits a taller person perfectly, it looks a little bit like I might teeter over when its on my back filled with gear. I worried that look might make an airline employee question its weight and carry-on compatibility, especially when traveling on smaller planes. 

It is always hard to know whether a bag will work for your body and camera gear before you have it in hand.  But if you are smaller framed person – male or female, and are considering the Kashmir, I would give it a try.

ps - I purchased each of these bags myself and just wanted to share with you what I learned from trying them out.

ICELAND PACKING TIPS FOR EARLY SUMMER - I NEEDED EVERY LAYER

As much as I love to travel with good company, I really enjoy the freedom of venturing off on my own.  Even so, before a solo trip to a new destination, I always experience a little anxiety - the good kind of butterflies that come with doing something amazing but out of my comfort zone.  I tend to cope with that with excessive pre-trip planning, which also extends the fun of travel beyond the actual trip itself. 

So before heading to Iceland for the first time earlier this summer, I researched like crazy about what clothes to bring, what photography gear I might want with me, how to get good wifi connections and everything else that came to mind.  There are great blog posts and articles out there that provide excellent, more thorough tips than mine here.  But just in case it helps you prepare for a first trip to Iceland, I thought I would offer my main takeaways. 

*One caveat: I am a total baby when it comes to cold weather, even though I actually prefer it to sweltering hot temperatures, like what we have here in the Southeast U.S.  If you wear flip-flops and shorts in Seattle in December, you probably will pack pretty differently than I did.

The "bring layers and more layers" tip that I read everywhere was good advice.   

I visited Iceland in late May/early June and experienced a wide array of weather each day.  The actual temperatures were pretty mild while I was there, ranging from mid-30s to upper 70s, but the wind was biting a lot of the time. 

Merino wool or capilene base layers were my best friends.  I wore them almost everyday.  A wind- and water-proof jacket was another essential that I used everyday over a lightweight insulated jacket, along with a fleece-llned hat and gloves. 

There were windows of warm sunshine when all of the outer layers came off.  But the clouds or wind always returned and then everything went back on.  That was especially (and I guess obviously) true near the glaciers, which are beautiful sights scattered along the southern coast. 

Sunset breaks through clouds at Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon in Iceland. © 2018 Elizabeth Acevedo

A family hiking to the edge of Skaftafellsjokull glacier in southern Iceland’s Skaftafell National Park. © 2018 Elizabeth Acevedo

During the short trail walk to the glacier's edge in Skaftafell National Park, for example, the weather started off warm with blazing sun beating down and only the lightest layer was needed.  Once approaching the glacier though, the temperature changed to a serious wintery chill,  which meant the jackets, hat and gloves went on again. 

Even traveling in summer, seriously consider bringing a winter-weight coat. 

Okay, this is another layer point but is worth mentioning on its own.  I read articles suggesting that, by late May or early June, it might be possible to have only a light, insulated jacket (like The North Face thermoball I wore) and a water/wind proof jacket.  I definitely needed more.  I toiled over bringing a heavy coat as I really wanted to avoid the extra weight and hassle of more stuff.  But I decided to be realistic about my low tolerance for cold.  I ended up bringing and wearing a parka by The North Face -- water- and wind-proof, down and with a hood that I could (and did) pull over my hat -- more often than I expected.  I honestly would have been miserable at some places without it and it was easy enough just to leave it in the car when it was too much. 

Also, as a photographer, I tend to stand outside for long periods.  Even for non-photographers, the whole point of visiting Iceland is to experience the gorgeous landscape so it would be sad to rush through a location because you are too cold.   

Hiking shoes/boots – bring an extra pair. 

Along with a pair of hiking boots, I brought along a pair of Teva hiking shoes -- grippy sole and waterproof sneakers – that saved me when, about midway through my trip, the boots started giving me trouble.  I wasn't doing any serious hiking so it was surprising.  Maybe carrying the weight of the full camera pack made a difference, I don’t know.  Anyway, having the extra pair did the trick for my light, short hikes and was a trip saver. 

One last idea … 

 If you have a rental car and stay at a different inns every night, like I did, consider leaving the big suitcase in the trunk of the car.  Instead of dragging it in and out of the car every day, I left it in the trunk most nights and just grabbed my toiletries and a small packing cube with the clothes I’d need to sleep in and to wear the next day, plus my photo gear.  I reorganized the big suitcase every once in awhile and it worked out pretty well.

Images and content above are © Elizabeth Acevedo. All rights reserved.