Imagine trying to count hundreds of thousands of birds in a matter of seconds. This is what Andy Caven does every spring… from a plane. In March, upwards of a million sandhill cranes pass through Nebraska’s central Platte River Valley. For the past 20 years, the Crane Trust has conducted aerial surveys of sandhill crane roosts to get an accurate count of the number of birds that pass through.
We are happy to announce, “Counting Cranes” is now available! PBT’s Mariah Lundgren produced this short film alongside Grant Reiner and Sidney Parks in partnership with the Crane Trust.
In this film, Andy and his team take us behind the scenes to show us how the aerial surveys are done, what they have learned, and why it’s important.
For more information about the great sandhill crane migration and the conservation efforts of the Crane Trust, be sure to visit their website and subscribe to their newsletter.
“It’s important because we still have this amazing thing to come and witness. It is not just the largest gathering of cranes in North America, it’s the largest gathering of cranes in the world.” –Andy Caven
