I recently had the opportunity to witness one of the greatest bird watching spectacles in the world, the annual spring migration of Sandhill Cranes through central Nebraska. I have made this trek countless times but each time I am in awe of what I see and hear.
Each year after wintering in Texas New Mexico, and Mexico the cranes make the Platte River valley of central Nebraska a stopover in their journey to breeding grounds in Canada, Alaska, and Siberia. They start arriving sometime in February, staying about one month to feed on invertebrates and waste corn in the fields along the Platte River. The arrival and departure is staggered with the last cranes leaving by mid April. This stop in Nebraska allows the cranes to add body fat that will sustain them for the rest of their trip and for the initial nest building in the tundra areas in the north.

Cranes spend their night in the shallow Platte River, arriving at dusk. They like it’s wide banks to provide then safety from predators. At sunrise they take to the fields to feed.
Approximately 500,000 cranes make their way to a relatively narrow stretch of the Platte between Grand Island and North Platte. The peak numbers occur about the third week of March but Large numbers are often present in early March. An added bonus in the first half of March is the large number of Snow Geese and Canada Geese present.

What I love most about the cranes is their trumpeting call. It can carry for a long distance is the most primal sound I’ve ever experienced in the natural world. You can hear a recording of a few nearby Sandhill Cranes along with a slide show here.
Fossil record show that Cranes of undetermined species have been in Nebraska for 10 million years and Sandhill Cranes have been visiting at least 2 1/2 million years.

A central point in Crane viewing is The Audubon Society Rowe Sanctuary near Gibbon Nebraska. They protect many acres along the Platte where the Crane concentration is greatest. Trips to view Crane roosting at sunrise and sunset are available from blinds along the river.
From March through April 6th you can hear/view a live webcam from Rowe Sanctuary. Note that these views of the river will not show cranes during the day, only before sunrise and after sunset. You may hear Cranes in the background.

I do my viewing between Grand Island and Kearney. Starting on The Platte River Road at Doniphan if you travel west along the back roads you will see, and hear, Cranes in the fields just about everywhere during the migration season. Some of these back roads are seldom traveled and you can pull off to the side for viewing. Other roads require looking for designated pulloff viewing areas. There are many. Your car makes an excellent blind and can protect you from the cold and wind you are likely to encounter on the Nebraska plains in March.
While viewing notice the dance the birds often do.
Another plus is that with the transition from winter you can witness many other signs of the emergence of spring making this trip a great way to celebrate spring.

For better photos, videos, and more information… 

Photos, video, and information about places where you can view cranes can be found here.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission have a page with info and videos here.

If you haven’t taken the opportunity to view this spectacle in Nebraska you are missing out on a natural treat. Words and photos can’t describe the experience. After more than 15 trips the only word I can use to describe it is awe.

On December 22, at 12:08 A.M. CDT the Winter Solstice occurs. This is the point in time when the Sun is at its greatest distance from the equator and is directly over the tropic of Cancer. This marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year. From this point on the days start getting longer as we move towards spring. This also marks the begining of the winter season in the Northern Hemisphere.

Winter is a season of cold,inwardness, and rest.
For more on Winter  and how to adapt to it’s changes see this article on The Healing Connection website, Winter - The Season When Things Hide.

For more on the astronomical details of the Winter Solstice go here.

On September 23, at 4:51 A.M. CDT the Autumnal Equinox occurs. At this time the sun crosses the equator, from north to south marking the start of the fall season in the Northern Hemisphere.
Fall is a season of great transition, from the warmth and outwardness of summer and the cold and inwardness of winter.
For more Fall and how to adapt to it’s changes see this article on The Healing Connection website, Fall - A Time To Gather In.

For more on the astronomical details of the Autumnal Equinox go here.

Take time to notice your place in the changing season.

According to Traditional Chinese Theory Spring and Summer are the Yang seasons (outwardness, activity, movement). Fall and Winter are Yin seasons (inwardness, passivity, receptivity). Summer is the season associated with the Fire element, the season of the heart, the season of Joy. It’s the season of abundance, when plants and animals bear fruit, when everything is in full swing.
I haven’t posted here in quite awhile. I have spent more time enjoying nature less time at the computer. 

One things I’ve been enjoying through July and August are the Cicadas. They sit in the trees, practically screaming, seeking out a mate. It always amazes me how even one single insect can make so much noise.
A few weeks ago I camped at Waubonsie State Park in Iowa. Located in Loess Hills it offers some outstanding views. At night, as expected, I heard the Cicadas only in much larger numbers than I have ever heard. They were joined by an equal number of Katydids, another loud insect, sometimes heard in the Omaha area but not in great numbers. The chorus of these insects was so loud and so intense. It ceased to be a individual insects and became something greater, something that became the perfect metaphor for the season of Fire, the season of Joy, the season of abundance. It made me consider the place of insects in the natural world.

Insects are the Mc Donalds of the animal world. There are billions and billions of them just in or own town. They are everywhere. They are the sound of life and being near the bottom of the food chain they support life up that chain.

Insects are a perfect representation of the life going on around us. They represent the ebb and flow of Yin and Yang. To get an idea of this imagine yourself on a summer evening just after sunset. The air is humid, the temperature is hot. The Cicadas are singing all around. Now imagine yourself in the same place, same time of day, only during winter. The air is dry, the temperature is cold (since this is our fantasy we won’t make it bitter cold). And there is silence! If you go back and forth between these two times you can feel the difference between the intense outwardness and joy of all the life you are surrounded by in Summer and the inwardness and hidden life of Winter (for example the next years Cicadas are under ground).
It is for this reason that I grieve the loss of insects in late Fall and Winter. Sure insects can be pests (especially flies and mosquitos), but if you look at the bigger picture they are so much more.

Enjoy the life all around you! Fall is just around the corner.

The summer season will soon be here. Days become longer, the air warmer and damper. If spring is a time of germination, growth, renewal, and an opening of the spirit, summer is a time of abundance, maturity, creativity, and joy of spirit. It’s a time for outwardness, increased activity levels, and strengthening of relationships.

During summer a tree absorbs water and other nutrients from its root system in the earth. Sap is produced which rises to the leaves which absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and energy from the sun. This combination of elements from heaven and earth provide food that is freely circulated through the healthy tree and abundant fruit is produced. For trees, plants, animals, and humans alike, the abundance of summer comes from the merging of energies of earth and sky.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) recognizes this blending of these energies (yin and yang) as well as the importance of noticing what’s happening in the natural world and being in harmony with it. In TCM the body’s organs each have their season. Summer is the season of the element fire and is the season of the heart. The emotion associated with the heart is joy. An excess of joy can lead to overexcitement, nervousness, longing, and craving. During all seasons balance is an important key to wellness. During this season of abundance extra care should be given to avoid excess that can upset our balance.

What can you do to make the most of summer and maintain balance during this season of abundance?

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Summer is officially here.
As of June 21,1:06 PM CDT, the Summer Solstice occurred. This is the point in time when the sun reaches it’s greatest distance from the equator. It’s also the longest day and the shortest night. From this point on the days start getting shorted again.
The Summer Solstice marks the official start of Summer. For many of us in Nebraska it’s felt like Summer for over two weeks. We had a relatively long Spring. After a cold spell in April we enjoyed moderate temperatures and the ground was moist almost all the time. After a very windy day early in June the ground dried up and the humidity increased greatly.

Although the ground is dryer in summer and lawn grass struggles to stay green elsewhere green is quite abundant. A drive through the country will reveal crops well along in their growth cycle. Trees are in full leaf now and have deeps roots that can find water even during dry periods. Prairie grasses likewise are hardy, making the most of dry conditions.
In nature Summer is a time of growth and abundance. People likewise increase their activity level.

Get out and enjoy Summer!

 Used to be that I considered June 1st to be the start of summer. Maybe this stems from my school days when, as far as I was concerned, summer started when school ended. This year summer officially starts June 21st at 1:06pm.
Often times June 1st feels like summer, weather wise. This year not so. It still feels like spring. Humidity has been minimal. Things look so much greener in spring than they ever can in summer. My Dogwood bush is in full bloom and the aroma is heavenly.

Who knows what things will be like in a few days but this weather has been gorgeous.
Get out and enjoy it!

I hope you enjoy these!

As I write this I am sitting under one of my favorite trees. Part of the reason it is a favorite could have to do with the fact that it is located in a place I don’t get to visit very often, making it more special.
I am sitting at Fort Kearney State Rec Area. The tree is a Cottonwood, probably well over fifty years old. I’ve known this tree for 21 years. It once had four main trunks. One apparently fell in a storm. Another was cut, probably at the same time.
The two remaining trunks curve right and left, offering shade to anyone that cares to spend some time under it’s canopy.
The two lost trunks were the larger and taller by far. The remaining leaves seem meager by the usual standards of a Cottonwood this age. Yet they still provide shade, at this time of day, over an area about 50 by 75 feet plus another  about 20 x 40.
This tree is clearly in it’s declining years yet it still offers sanctuary to the Oriole chattering and singing as I write and the Robin sitting on an end of a branch. The leaves still rustle in the wind providing one of the most delightful sounds of late spring, summer, and early fall.

Why is this tree one of my favorites? Because it offers me sanctuary. It’s canopy shields me from the most intense rays of the sun, allowing just enough to filter through it’s leaves, waving gently in the breeze, providing an ever changing light show. It allows me to witness the birds taking refuge there.
But wouldn’t most trees do that as well? Yes they would. This tree is special because it stands alone. The nearest tree is 100 feet away and it is quite small in comparison. I’ve always had a soft spot for trees that seem to be an oasis in the middle open area, even if that area is relatively small.
In this case the tree sits on the boundary of the park, right next to a corn field. Being close to field there is nothing to block the wind making the tree rustle all the more. Yet today there are occasional periods of complete stillness proving contrast.
Another reason I like this tree is history. Because it stands out I have always remembered this tree since the first year. I have watched it change and evolve. From something bigger and fuller to the declining tree it is now. This tree and I have history. I have evolved along with it. This tree reminds me of the old Chinese dictum, “Everything changes except the fact that everything changes”.
Today, as I write this, I find comfort under it’s branches.