norbert blei | it beats bush, mccain, obama, hillary…the war, gas prices, the economy—name your headache

NOTES from the UNDERGROUND… No. 133 | March 15, 2008

CRANE WATCH

Yes, there’s the darkness of life, examined, turned over and over underground, but life aboveground deserves our attention as well.

Here’s a little note, a reminder in mid-March, from a friend in Nebraska that some inspiring old patterns remain above us…that the time has come to look up, all around, partake in the wonder of some special winged creatures in her neck of the woods.

Open the link.

Enjoy.

(It beats Bush, McCain, Obama, Hillary…the war, gas prices, the economy—name your headache.) Norbert Blei

Anyone interested in knowing what’s going on in our part of the world right now can plug into www.rowesanctuary.org through April 6th to watch the sandhill cranes on the Platte River. Early morning and late afternoon are when the cranes come in from the fields to roost on sand bars or in the shallow water through the night. They have protection there from predators. The annual Audubon Wildlife and Rivers Conference is this weekend in Kearney.

–Delphine

Rowe Sanctuary

Site Description: Rowe Sanctuary has been owned and managed by the National Audubon Society since 1974. Located along the Platte River in central Nebraska, the site encompasses 1,300 acres of river habitat, wetlands, woodlands, and mixed-grass prairie.

Ornithological Summary:
The Platte River in central Nebraska is world famous for the sandhill crane migration that occurs early each year. Rowe hosts more than 70,000 cranes nightly during their northward flight to their breeding grounds. There have been more than 20 whooping crane sightings as well, usually in small groups. Other state species on concern found here are bobolink, northern harrier, dickcissel, red-headed woodpecker, and piping plover, which has been recorded using sandbar habitat.