1st Annual Crane Watch Festival

In 2012, the Kearney area will launch the inaugural Crane Watch Festival...10 days of fun-filled education, family activities, entertainment and community wide events taking place in Kearney, Minden and Gibbon. Come join in the celebration of the Sandhill Cranes - Central Nebraska’s first sign of spring.

About Sandhill Cranes

For 6 weeks, late February to early April, something magical happens in the heart of Nebraska. More than 80% percent of the world’s population of Sandhill Cranes converges on Nebraska’s Platte River. The Sandhill Cranes travel from southern wintering grounds to northern breeding grounds in Canada, Alaska and Siberia. They stop along the Platte to rest and gain body fat as they prepare for their journey. Fossils of wing bones dating back nine million years have been discovered in Nebraska. Whooping Cranes, eagles, ducks & geese, and shorebirds are among the other wildlife that migrate through Central Nebraska. It’s an amazing sight and one that can only be truly appreciated in person. The Kearney area offers a variety of guided and self-guided crane viewing opportunities.

In 2010, the City of Kearney proclaimed the Kearney area as Sandhill Crane Capital of the World.

For additional Sandhill Crane information and articles, visit www.visitkearney.org.

Plan for next year...