Sandhill Crane Festival in Kearney Nebraska

From mid-February to mid-April (peaking during the last few weeks of March), the densist influx of miagrating Sandhill Cranes in the workd descends on Nebraska. 80% of the world population--more than half a million birds--have been stopping over here for at least 10,000 years, an epic spectacle of nature. They gather along the braided channels of the Platte River, which offers them protection from predators. During the day, they fly off to feast on corn left in the fields after harvest until not a kernel remains. Then they continue north to Canada, Alaska, or Siberia to breed.