by Bethany Ostrom | Apr 8, 2026 | Uncategorized
Hey all, On Monday the 6 th , we estimated at least 15,000 ± 2,000 Sandhill Cranes between Chapman and Overton NE. The season is definitely wrapping up. From this year’s plateau at half a million cranes surrounding week 5, we’ve experienced a very rapid drop in...
by Bethany Ostrom | Mar 31, 2026 | Uncategorized
Hey all, On March 30th we surveyed the Central Platte River Valley and we estimate there are at least 60,800 +/- 12,400 Sandhill Cranes within the valley. A majority of the cranes are between Shelton and Kearney. This is a dramatic decrease from last week’s 400,000...
by Bethany Ostrom | Mar 21, 2026 | Uncategorized
Week 6 Aerial Sandhill Crane Survey Hey all,On March 19 th we estimated there are at least 400,000 +/- 49,000 Sandhill Cranes in the Central Platte River Valley. A few variables during the survey likely contributed to a lower estimate than anticipated. While this...
by Bethany Ostrom | Mar 7, 2026 | Uncategorized
Hey all, After a long foggy week, we counted 402,000 +/- 40,000 Sandhill Cranes between Chapman and Overton, Nebraska, this morning (March 7 th ). This is above average for this time of year and, much like the last count (week 2), the numbers are closer to next week’s...
by Bethany Ostrom | Feb 23, 2026 | Uncategorized
Hey all, Happy crane season! On Monday the 23 rd of February we estimated 115,000 +/- 6,000 Sandhill Cranes between Chapman and Overton, NE, along the Platte River. On February 12 th, we estimated around 50,000 cranes in the area. These numbers are definitely on the...
