General
Spring Migration: During March, Nebraska hosts one of the most spectacular examples of migration, the Sandhill Crane, along the Platte River between Grand Island and Lexington. The waterfowl migration is also an exciting natural event, particularly the concentrations of a half million Snow Geese and 100,000 Greater White-fronted Geese in the Rainwater Basins.
Fall Migration: Fall migration begins in July with shorebirds (numbers peak in August). Hawk migration begins in mid-September and continues through October. Warbler migration begins in late August and peaks in early September.
Calendar
The following calendar includes information about bird migration. Data is included for the months of peak migration: March, April, May, September, October, November. Please note that arrival times can be affected by weather patterns.
For the latest sightings and locations by county, please click here
March Bird Migration Information
The following is a partial list of birds that migrate through our area and approximate times to see them. Arrival times can be affected by weather patterns.
Waterfowl:
-Snow Geese (also Ross' Geese) and Greater White-fronted Geese (Riverton Wildlife Management Area in Fremont County, Iowa; Funk Lagoon and Sacramento-Wilcox Wildlife Area in Phelps County)
- Ducks (Wehrspann Lake west of Papillion, Cunningham Lake north of Omaha; Lake Manawa in Council Bluffs)
Raptors:
- Bald Eagles (Lake Manawa, IA; Riverton Wildlife Management Area in Fremont County, Iowa)
- Other raptors begin moving north (Waubonsie State Park in southwest Iowa is a good lookout spot)
Shorebirds:
- Woodcocks (Lake Manawa, IA hiking trail)
- Common Snipe, Killdeer
Gulls:
- Ring-billed, Herring, and possibly Thayer's Gull (Lake Manawa, IA; Cunningham Lake, NE)
- Bonaparte's Gulls (begin arriving the latter part of March - Cunningham Lake, NE)
Passerines:
- Eastern Phoebe (last two weeks of March)
- Northern Shrikes (head north by mid-March)
- Loggerhead Shrikes (arrives mid-March)
- Fox Sparrow (arrives the last two weeks of March)
Virtual Crane Tour
Photo credit: Rowe Sanctuary
Enjoy the cranes from the comfort of your own home with the virtual crane tour. The program will be led by a Rowe Sanctuary staff member who will begin the program with Crane Behavior Basics. Participants will learn about common behaviors cranes display along the river as well as conservation efforts by Rowe Sanctuary to help preserve the critical Platte River ecosystem.
After learning about cranes, participants will join the staff member in viewing a live stream of the cranes coming in to land on the river for the evening. While watching the live stream, the staff member will act as a tour guide and will point out any behaviors seen and answer questions from participants.
Registrants will receive a link to the Zoom webinar as program date gets closer, so keep an eye on your email inbox.
