Amazing Cranes



Picture by Joel Williams



This morning we got up at 4:45 a.m. to see the cranes at the Rowe Nature Center again.  We think paying $25 to stand in a blind on the Platte River from 5:45 to 9 a.m. is money well spent.  This time we were in a blind facing west instead of north.  At first I thought this blind was less preferable because the cranes were farther away.  The advantage to this second blind was that it gave a full view of the river.  We could see farther in this blind.  Again we walked in complete darkness from the nature center to the blind.  Blind is appropriate because coming out of the nature center's light into complete darkness, I was completely blind for the first minute or more.  I bumped into someone, apologizing, "Sorry, but I cannot see you."  We walked on the fairly level grass and gravel path. After a few minutes, our eyes adjusted and we still couldn't see but could avoid walking into each other.  Inside the blind we waited in the dark.  After an hour or so the stars faded and the cranes began to appear.  Our guide suggested we cup our ears and fully appreciate the sound.  I did that.  I leaned my elbows on the window sill of the blind, cupped my ears, and listened.  It was LOUD.  Really loud.  Loud like the 1987 World Series at the Metrodome (I was there).  The sand hill cranes talked so loudly and in such numbers, it sounded like a crowd of 50,000 people.  What were the cranes talking about?  As light appeared, the cranes began to dance.  Cranes strut, posture, jump up and down, make a little love, do a little dance, get down tonight.  I saw one crane fly off for breakfast; an early riser or an overachiever.  Ten cranes left the river.  A group of 25 cranes left.  It's still dawn and the sun hasn't completely risen but some cranes are leaving.  I start hearing a different noise over the sound of hundreds of thousands of talking cranes.  The sound is like a large amount of water dropping into a long metal pipe - whoosh!  What is this sound?  What is happening?  Before my eyes, I see 200,000 cranes flap their wings and rise into the air all at the same time.  The sky is full of cranes.  Every inch of sky has a crane in it.  My mouth drops open.  I hold my breath.  Cranes are going every which way!  Everyone in the blind is gasping in amazement.  I say out loud, "Be careful, you're going to bump each other."  I can't believe my eyes.  I get the feeling I should not be seeing this.  This is different and thrilling.  I am 100% in the moment.  What it is like?  The dawn of time?  Is this a miracle?  What is going on here?  The sound of all these cranes beating the air continues until most of them lift off.  About 50,000 cranes remain on the river.  Why?  Why did most of the cranes choose the same moment to take off?  Why did these cranes stay?  Our guide whispers possibilities.  Maybe the cranes saw an eagle or a coyote.  He knows it wasn't our fault (those of us in the blind).  No one's cell phone went off.  No one used a camera flash to frighten the cranes.  We hope none of the cranes crashed into the nearby power lines.  I hope none of them crashed into each other.  You'd think some wings had to touch during this mass take off.  It was like a bird flash mob.  I am so glad we are in the blind that faces west.  We saw the magnificence  and the full immensity of the entire scene.  The guide says he's seen the cranes leave in the morning more than 50 times.  This never happens.  But it did happen.  I saw it.  : )