audubon rowe sanctuary

We came for the annual crane migration and we weren't disappointed even the cranes seem to be a bit later than usual this year. Reserved for a morning in the blind, guides were knowledgeable and the blind was nice (east blind). Something upriver spooked the cranes so they took off before the light of day - and photos...just can't predict birds! Make sure you reserve a spot early - we wanted to go back in the evening and they were booked. Great place, nice gift shop with crane merch galore!

My wife and I had the pleasure of a Crane Tour at the Rowe this past weekend. We called ahead and reserved two spots on an evening, blind viewing, and we had not only a wonderful time but got to see and hear some amazing wildlife. Our tour guide was a delight and most helpful in understanding what we were seeing. The blind is in a great spot for viewing up and down the river, and the cranes cooperated by giving us a spectacular show. It was worth every penny, and we look forward to our next tour.

Cranes are of course the main draw, but there are other treasures to see on the grounds. In the right time of year, they have feeders set up that get swarmed with goldfinches and they have binoculars for visitor use. It is nice being able to birdwatch without having to go outdoors for a little bit. It is a good place to take a short hike in the off-season too, but hours are limited. Cute gift shop too!

My husband and I visited Rowe in mid March this year and had an absolutely amazing experience! As first timers, we couldn't decide whether to reserve a morning or afternoon spot in the blinds, so we did both - which I think is the way to go if you have the time and extra money. (You need to reserve in January and spots fill up quickly!) We went during the week - not as busy as the weekends. Watch the webcam at sunrise and sunset before you go and you will get a taste of what you will see. You will be in a blind right next to the Platte River & your senses will explode with the sights and sounds (loud!) of thousands and thousands of cranes. In the early morning, you experience the massive lift off and in the evening you experience the massive incoming for the evening. We had our cameras and followed all the rules, but let me just say this - snap a few photos and then put the camera down and just watch and listen. You will never forget the sights and sounds. We had outstanding guides in our blinds and these people do it for the love of the cranes. Many of the volunteers come back every year - some coming quite a distance from other states. We learned so much!Note: You will receive a list of rules including how to dress for the blinds. It was very cold with a little snow on the ground when we visited. Warm boots, hats & gloves are a must.

You no doubt have seen videos of the massive migrations in Africa. Well, we have a massive bird migration of our own that can be beautifully witnessed in mid-Nebraska at the Rowe Sanctuary. My wife an I visited at the height of the northern migration of the Sandhill cranes, snow geese, and many duck species. What a spectacle. One morning from a Rowe blind we had a whole raft of snow geese arise from the sandbar right below us like a sudden storm - jaw-dropping. We stood outside one day and 360 degrees around us were birds in the air close, the middle-distance, and distant - the entire sky peppered with flying birds. You do NOT have to be a bird watcher to be awe struck by this place. This is a top notch facility, nicely run with help in the busy times with volunteers. There is absolutely no negatives associated with Rowe. Go there.

We stopped by here just to see what the center was like, knowing it was off season for the cranes. The volunteer at the center was very nice. She pointed us to where the trails were, highlighted the webcam, talked about the blinds and how they set up the tours in the spring. Unfortunately it was raining, so we only walked down one of the paths to the river and back again, but we spotted a Kingfisher on the way in, so I was happy. The river, trees, surrounding area are just beautiful.

My husband & I went here in March to see the crane migration - it was SO amazing. We are both so incredibly glad we went. We aren't "bird people" or even really nature people. We like nature but we live in Chicago and love city life. We don't really know anything about birds or cranes or migrations. But we still LOVED this experience.Some things to know: You have to get up very early - stay in a hotel nearby & don't be late!You have to be very quiet, the whole entire time. It will take about 2hrs or so, at least that's how long we were outside.You have to put tape over anything you have that lights up. It's going to be pitch black when you're walking to the blind.The blind is going to be cold. Very cold. Wear multiple pairs of socks (I didn't, and I wish I did).There is a port-a-potty out there - but no one in our group used it.Watching the cranes was amazing. Do it.

First, the Sanctuary is an oasis with or without the Sandhill cranes. Staff is knowledgeable and passionate and helpful. No such thing as a dumb question.Friends of ours have been to see the Sandhill Crane migration for 20 years. We could not imagine what could be so powerful or interesting to see that many times but now we are hooked. We signed up for the evening blind, which was very reasonably priced. You left the Sanctuary around 6:00 p.m. and when we reached the blind, there were no birds on the river except for one which was obviously hurt. We didn't know what to expect of the blind but it was very long and had windows at two different levels. There were benches lining one wall so there was plenty of room to sit if you are tired of standing. We were very fortunate to have a relatively warm day but everyone had warned us to dress in layers as the wind can make you feel colder than the actual temperature. There were a couple of step stools but if you are bringing children, we'd recommend you bring your own stool as there were only a couple available in our blind. The river in front of the blind resembles the fingers of a hand as the water cuts through the mud flats. As the sun goes down the reflection on the river is breathtaking. It is difficult to express the almost surreal feeling one gets as you see the cranes start to fly toward the river, first in small groups and then in ever growing numbers. At one point the sky was almost dark with them. They don't pay much attention to where they land and often because of the crowding, when one crane lands a half dozen dance around at the intrusion. Watching these birds who have been around almost unchanged for more than a million years, come in for a landing, feet outstretched, trumpeting to those on the ground - with the sun setting behind them turning the water to gold - was mystical and impossible to be described. You really need to experience it to understand.During the day we meandered around the backroads and found hundreds of cranes feeding in the fields on the left over corn. No wonder they stop here to fatten up before continuing their journey north. We will definitely go back again - this time to experience the morning lift off.

We enjoyed viewing the Sandhill Cranes early in the morning here. The staff was organized, experienced and all had a passion for the birds. They led a wonderful viewing in big spacious blinds. You will really get a great view and experience watching the Sandhill Cranes from when they wake up in the morning to taking flight to their feeding grounds. I would recommend going here.

An estimated 350,000 sand hill cranes spend several days feeding along the Platte River in south-central Nebraska before heading north. In March and early April, Rowe Sanctuary makes its blinds along the Platte River available at dawn and dusk for viewing. We booked a night and day visitation in a blind (arrived in Gibbon in the late afternoon, then did our night visitation. The next morning we did the dawn visitation).As dusk approached, groups of cranes started forming and flying in circular patterns. At first cranes started gathering into small groups in secondary roosts miles away, but slowly the first ones began settling into the river near the blinds. As the sun began to disappear, thousands of cranes landed onto the sand bars in the river. When we were walking out, about 9:00 pm, something scared the cranes (our guide said perhaps a coyote) and they all took off and began squawking and circling again. The noise from the birds was incredible.The morning view is completely different, as you see an estimated 30,000 cranes in the sanctuary awaking and taking off to go feed in the nearby corn fields.Hint — dress warm.

I hesitated making the reservations and drive to the Rowe Sanctuary wondering if maybe we could experience the crane migration just as well elsewhere. I am very glad we visited the Iain Nicolson Center and reserved room on the blind tour. Even though we did experience the cranes elsewhere - on the fields and flying in those wonderfully undulating v's in the sky- the Rowe Sanctuary (along with the Crane Trust in Wood River which I'll have to visit if we make it out again) is geared to make the cranes happy and is the center for the crane migration experience for both the cranes and the people who come to see them. The Visitor Center building is very ecological, built of straw bales and old wood it, in itself, is worth a look. The displays are great and the gift shop purchases help to continue the work of the sanctuary. There were many volunteers who, I gathered, are the main work force during the migration season, many coming in from far away for a week or a couple days to help out. For the most part they were very enthusiastic and excited to be there helping out. Obviously some will be better than others. We visited in the afternoon and then drove to a Crane Trust spot near a bridge on the Platte for the evening fly -in. The blind tours for that evening had already been filled when I attempted to make a reservation a few weeks before the trip. So book these early if you want to take one. We did not have any cranes land near us which was a bit disappointing, in the end they all seemed to fly to the more barren sandbars near the Rowe sanctuary. The sanctuary actively clears the sand bars and there is some indication that the cranes do prefer these over the more vegetation filled sand bars elsewhere. But even with that we had a fantastic experience. The estimated 65,000 cranes flew overhead for over an hour in group after group after group. And then as they settled up the river for the night they would fly up as a flock and then land and circle and then land and as they flew we had a gorgeous sunset framing their aerial dance. Early the next morning we met for our morning blind tour. It was $25 per person. We were separated into three groups of 24-25 for each of the three blinds near the river edge. They want to get us set up, and in the blind before the birds become active so we came dressed warmly and walked the short distance in the dark with red lightbeams to guide the way. We were cautioned to make no noise and no talking etc so as to not disturb the cranes. But as it lightened up it became obvious that we were not going to experience the morning take off. There were no cranes whatsoever within sight. From both ends of the blind we could see groups of cranes taking off. When it was even lighter we learned why we had none. Some Bald Eagles were in the trees across the river. Since they hunt cranes the cranes had moved on to less hazardous places. So our blind tour was a bust, but nevertheless I was happy to have given it a try. And would not hesitate to book another tour. I was glad when later on in the day I witnessed something similar to that morning take off. It is easy to see the cranes in the fields during the day as you drive around in the area. Overall it was a fantastic trip and one I would absolutely recommend to one and all.

I had fun here last year during the big migration, and thought I'd return. This is better than a day's trip for me and so I invested a lot in it.On the positive side, it was good to see the cranes again, who were there in numbers, although not as many visible as last year. I assume some delayed their migration due to colder weather. But on the down side, I didn't enjoy the blind tour as much because the guides now have a camera-hostile policy, and the tour guide we had didn't know much about the birds and her answers were a disappointment to the real bird watchers. I'm not sure if I'll return again next year, as it wasn't very fun for me.

What other reviews state is true, this is a once in lifetime, gotta do, unbelievable experience. The early and late tours in the blinds are both worth doing. The cranes are really incredible and the blinds let you see many of their behaviours not visible just driving around local roads. Nice to support the Audubon Society and Rowe Sanctuary for their fine work over the decades maintaining and enhancing the river environment so this migration continues. So many cranes coming in during the evening (estimated 30,000 on our visit) is totally shocking. The very early start of morning tour is worth getting up on vacation for as seeing thousands of birds lift off at once and fly every-which-way is awe-inspiring. Get reservations early to get into the blinds. The tour guides on both our blind visits were top-notch!

Totally incredible wildlife experience. View one of the greatest wildlife migrations on the planet by visiting the Rowe Sanctuary in mid to late March for a sunrise or sunset viewing of the migrating Sandhill Cranes. We did both the sunset and sunrise viewing. We liked the sunrise viewing the best. We watched about 20,000 Sandhill Cranes take off from their overnight roost in a space of perhaps 20 minutes. Do this at least once in your life. The guides at Rowe know their jobs and their birds. The entire operation is professional and centered on the idea of giving you a excellent wildlife experience.

We had booked an evening viewing of the cranes from a blind with a guide. We were told to dress warm which was good advice. We still were cold but every second was worth it. To see thousands of cranes right before you coming down on the Platte River and roosting for the night is a magical moment. The chatter, the sun down and in the red sky thousands of crane flying overhead before they land right in front of you. Its a must in a life time.