Hey all,
Well, a lot has changed since the last time you’ve heard from me. On Monday we estimated 57,000 +/- 4,200 Sandhill Cranes between Overton and Chapman NE. This is a whopping (or should I say whooping) 85% decrease from last Wednesday. As those in the area know, we experienced heavy winds from the south (alternating between SW and SE) between 25-55mph from Friday evening up until Sunday. Clearly most of the cranes took advantage of these gusts and bolted out of here. We were honestly surprised that there are still as many as there are considering the conditions this weekend. The overwhelming majority were seen west of Gibbon, with 39% of the total spotted in the Gibbon/Rowe bridge segment. This Friday and Saturday look very ideal for migrating so I suspect that a large majority of what is remaining will leave then. We will most likely fly one more time, but are currently working out some scheduling.
Till next week,
