It’s exhilarating to see and hear the live camera views of flocks of Sandhill Cranes along the Platte River in central Nebraska.

Audubon’s Rowe Sanctuary features one of the most intimate and spectacular live views of the annual spring migration of Sandhill Cranes during their annual stopover along the Platte River Valley in central Nebraska. The stretch of river covered by this camera is one of the most densely populated roosting sites for Sandhill Cranes, in an area that attracts hundreds of thousands of Sandhill Cranes during the peak of spring migration. The cranes roost along the river overnight and periodically during the day, but leave to feed on fall-harvested fields and grasslands. During their 3- to 5-week stay they form the largest assemblage of cranes anywhere in the world.

The best times to view the concentrations of cranes on the live river cam is early mornings and after sunset. The morning liftoff either happens slowly, with smaller groups of cranes leaving as the sun rises, or more frequently with tens of thousands of sandhill cranes leaving all at once in a cloud that fills the sky punctuated by the remarkable sounds of the thousands of cranes. Sunset flights as the cranes return to the shallows and sandbars of the Platte River are every bit as impressive. Viewing the live camera feed after dark provides some interesting crane experiences.

Even if you can’t make the pilgrimage to witness this popular spring migration event, you can enjoy the sights and sounds at Audubon's Rowe Sanctuary's Crane Camera | Explore.org