LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Sandhill cranes are making a rare appearance in Nebraska this winter.
The majestic gray birds with red caps have been spotted along the Platte River west of Grand Island. About 1,000 cranes have overwintered along the river near the National Audubon’s Rowe Sanctuary at Gibbon.
Sandhill cranes normally pass through Nebraska in the fall on their way south. In January, they should be hundreds of miles away where it’s warm.
Ornithologist and author Paul Johnsgard, of Lincoln, says severe drought has devastated the crops in their wintering grounds in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma.
Kent Skaggs, officer manager at Rowe Sanctuary, says they’ve had cranes since mid-November. He says it’s because of the open water, leftover corn in harvested fields and the mild weather.