March Madness, Nebraska style

HOLDREGE -- College basketball isn't the only kind of "March Madness," and Nebraska can definitely lay claim to being the champions of March Madness in the bird watching world.

According to Nebraska Game and Parks Wildlife Biologist T.J. Walker, literally millions of geese are moving through Nebraska in March. Flocks of Snow Geese can block out the sun and may number in the tens of thousands of birds on the rivers, wetlands and croplands of the Chicken Dance Trail region of the state.

If you look closely, Walker said, you might see a smaller white goose known as Ross's Goose. They're not much bigger than a Mallard, but very similar in appearance to the Snow Goose. Canada Geese and Cackling Geese are also migrating through in large numbers, and some pairs of Canada Geese may be starting to nest in our area as well.

"Ducks of all sorts are also moving through the state in large numbers, including most of the 'puddle ducks' such as Mallards, Northern Pintails, Gadwall, American wigeon and Green-Winged Teal," Walker said. This is also a good time to see "diving ducks" such as Redheads, Canvasbacks, Scaup and others.

Last but not least, Walker reminds us that this is the time of year when hundreds of thousands of Sandhill Cranes "march" their way through Nebraska's Platte River Valley. Their familiar "rattling" or "bugling" call can be heard for miles and they are a definite sign that spring is just around the corner.

According to Walker, if you watch those crane flocks closely, you may find an early Whooping Crane or make an even rarer sighting of a Common Crane, which is a Eurasian species that occasionally gets mixed in with the flocks of Sandhill Cranes. There are reports of a Common Crane in the Kearney area this spring.

So get out there and look for the migrating flocks. While you're out there, you might find Wild Turkeys strutting and gobbling, Greater Prairie-chickens starting to "boom" and other water birds beginning their northward migration. March is a great month for bird watching along the Chicken Dance Trail.

More information on bird watching and birding adventures in southwest and south central Nebraska can be found online at www.chicken dance trail.com.

About the Chicken Dance Trail

The Chicken Dance Trail is actually a collection of great bird watching locations in Southwest and South Central Nebraska, between the Platte and Republican Rivers.

Because the area includes the narrowest section of the hourglass-shaped Central Flyway, the Chicken Dance Trail is uniquely situated for birders. Millions of different birds come through here during spring and fall migrations, making the Chicken Dance Trail one of the best places in the country to see a wide variety of species in a relatively small area.

Chicken Dance Trail bird watching sites were developed by local naturalists and birding experts and are collected into a series of bird watching "adventures" which are described in detail, along with interactive maps, at www.chickendancetrail.com.

Other resources include a bulletin board on which to post interesting sightings, a birding chart, useful birding links, and guides to restaurants, lodging and activities in the area.