We saw a super rare bird today! We're not even in Kearney for thirty minutes when Stan says, "Hey, check out that light crane out there."

I was ready to toss it off as light colored plumaged sandhill crane, but when we got it in our binoculars we discovered that it was a common crane! Amber and Stan got photos and I will try to post one in a few days. I called Rowe Sanctuary and apparently we are the first to report it this season. Not sure how to top the rest of the field trip after that one.

There are more geese than cranes right now but it is spectacular. This is mostly a flock of cackling geese with a few snows and greater white fronts thrown in.

We stopped at Forte Kearney and got a kick out of seeing about ten Harris's sparrows where we saw one last year--great little sparrows.

I need to get to bed. We have to meet up at 4am to drive to the blinds and it's going to be cold--14 degrees. It's snowing big fluffy flakes out the hotel window...hope it clears up before morning.