Please join us on Feb. 19 to learn about Sandhill Cranes with Mike Higgins! Sandhill Cranes are big, striking birds standing over four feet tall with a wing span of more than six feet. They’re chatty birds with over eighteen calls. Their unison call can be heard more than two miles away. And they dance! It looks like pure joy, but biologists tell us it’s for pair bonding and defense. More than half a million cranes stage on the Platte River for several weeks each spring. What a gift to be three hours from such a majestic migration!

The presenter is Mike Higgins, a retired physics teacher who taught at Omaha North High School and Creighton Prep. He first witnessed the Sandhill Crane migration about 30 years ago, when he headed to Kearney on a whim, driving from field to field watching thousands of birds feeding, calling, loafing, and flying. Recently he’s had the chance to observe the migration from river blinds at Rowe Sanctuary, The Nature Conservancy, and Crane Trust. He’s hooked. When it’s not migration time, he’s learning more and planning his next trip.

Our programs are free and open to the public. They are held in the private meeting room at DJ’s Dugout, 777 N 114th St. Join us for social hour at 6 p.m. Food and drinks are available for purchase. The programs begin at 7 p.m. Register at: Audubon-Omaha.org/calendar-of-events

Photo: Frank Schulenberg