Every March, Nebraska becomes home to one of the greatest wildlife spectacles in North America. More than half a million Sandhill Cranes, the world’s largest congregation of cranes, converges on the Platte River Valley in Nebraska. Joining the Sandhill Cranes are another 20 million birds - waterfowl, shorebirds, and the endangered Whooping Crane. They stop to rest and refuel in the adjacent Rainwater Basin before continuing further north to their summer breeding grounds. So many birds are here during spring migration that vast expanses of open sky are filled with sounds of flapping wings and a chorus of calls.

At the same time, male Greater Prairie-Chickens gather at ancient breeding grounds and compete for the chance to mate in Nebraska’s prairie grasslands. Their raucous displays include stomping, booming, whooping, and sparring. With exposed tail coverts and balloon-like air sacs flashing orange and yellow, few performances in the bird world are more memorable than this dawn dance of chickens.

We’ll spend five days exploring Nebraska’s wildlife hotspots. We have strategically selected areas away from crowds so that we have the time and space to truly enjoy these wildlife spectacles in true Reefs to Rockies style. We’ll travel in a custom American safari van with a conversion pop-top and spacious seating. This is not the traditional passenger van you may have traveled in on past trips. This one-of-a-kind vehicle has been specially designed by two wildlife biologists to allow for optimal viewing. It makes a perfect ‘blind’ and there’s ample room for everyone to view at the same time.

Get ready for Spring Magic in Nebraska!

Chip Clouse is a long-time bird tour leader and Reefs to Rockies’ Lead Naturalist Guide. He’s also ProStaff for Opticron Optics and Former Manager of Front Range Birding Company.

Originally enamored with tooth and claw predators, his fascination with birds started by volunteering with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission to monitor Peregrine Falcon nest sites. His fascination and love for birds was cemented once he saw his first Western Tanager while working for the Peregrine Fund in Oregon. Chip’s experience includes 20 years of bird research and project management experience in nine states and the Caribbean nation of Grenada, a Masters in Conservation Biology from Colorado State University, five years with the American Birding Association, two years as a rep with Novagrade Digiscoping adapters and stints guiding at 15+ different US birding festivals.

Chip is excited to share his love of birds and natural history in this trip to Nebraska.

The Southern Plains Land Trust (SPLT), founded in 1998, creates and protects a network of shortgrass prairie preserves, ensuring a future for native flora and fauna. A donation to SPLT to aid in their land acquisition efforts will be made on behalf of all participants.

Accommodations
Based on two people sharing a double occupancy standard room.
Meals as listed
4 breakfasts, 5 lunches, and 2 dinners
Private transportation
From Denver in a custom American safari van
Expedition Leader
Chip Clouse from Reefs to Rockies
Wildlife viewing
Daily birding and wildlife viewing with spotting scope available.
Activities as listed
Additional local guides
North Platte bus tour, North Platte crane blind, and prairie-chicken leks
Gratuities
For your guides and at restaurants for included meals.
Conservation donation
A donation to Southern Plains Land Trust to aid in their land acquisition efforts will be made on behalf of all participants.

Private Room Supplement

$330

Deposit: $0

For a private room, add this amount. If you are a solo traveler hoping to share accommodations, we'll do our best to pair you.

Day 1 (Fri, March 28)
Day 1 (Fri, March 28)
Denver/ Ogallala
Morning departure from Denver for drive to Nebraska’s Platte River Valley with birding stops along the way. We’ll spend time this afternoon searching for cranes feeding in fields adjacent to the North Platte River. In the last hour of daylight, we’ll watch as flocks of cranes return to their nightly roost sites, our first introduction to the magnitude of this annual wildlife spectacle.

Accommodations: Holiday Inn Express and Suites - Ogallala

Meals: Lunch
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Day 2 (Sat, March 29)
Day 2 (Sat, March 29)
Ogallala/ North Platte
We have the morning to continue birding area hotspots as we make our way east to North Platte, a city rich in history located at the confluence of the North and South Platte Rivers. Here, the two rivers becomes the Platte.

This afternoon, we’ll embark on a guided bus tour with our local guide exploring Platte River Valley backroads between North Platte and Hershey. We’ll stop when we find large groups of Sandhill Cranes so that there’s time to learn about their natural history while observing and photographing this charismatic species.

Accommodations: Holiday Inn Express – North Platte

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
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Day 3 (Sun, March 30)
Day 3 (Sun, March 30)
North Platte
Today begins early with a visit to a nearby ranch that’s home to Greater Prairie-Chickens. Before sunrise, males start arriving to this historic lek, a place where multiple males gather during mating season and engage in competitive displays. Our blind is close to the action so we can observe the interactions between the alpha male and his challengers.

This evening, we’ll head a short distance out of town to a viewing blind located at a prime location along the shore of the North Platte River. We’ll arrive in time to see Sandhill Cranes return from their daytime foraging areas to roost in the river for the night. This evening experience is sure to delight all your senses.

Accommodations: Holiday Inn Express – North Platte

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
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Day 4 (Mon, March 31)
Day 4 (Mon, March 31)
North Platte/ McCook
After a later start this morning, we’ll explore area wildlife hotspots in search of migrating flocks and other regional highlights on our way to McCook. We’ll hear tales of Greater Prairie-Chickens this evening from an engaging storyteller before our farewell dinner downtown.

Accommodations: Cobblestone Hotel and Suites - McCook

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
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Day 5 (Tues, April 1)
Day 5 (Tues, April 1)
McCook/ Denver
No two leks are the same so we’ll wake before dawn again and head to another Nebraska ranch for a morning with dancing chickens. After a hearty mid-morning breakfast in McCook, we’ll start making our way back to Denver. There’s time for birding and wildlife viewing en route. Stops will be determined based on recent sightings and the group’s interests.

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
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Day 1 (Fri, March 28)

Denver/ Ogallala

Morning departure from Denver for drive to Nebraska’s Platte River Valley with birding stops along the way. We’ll spend time this afternoon searching for cranes feeding in fields adjacent to the North Platte River. In the last hour of daylight, we’ll watch as flocks of cranes return to their nightly roost sites, our first introduction to the magnitude of this annual wildlife spectacle.

Accommodations: Holiday Inn Express and Suites - Ogallala

Meals: Lunch

The entire trip was a blast! Our guides, driver and host's were all very friendly and informative.

By Sean W for American Academy Costa Rica 2025 on Mar 04, 2025

I had a great time. The variety of experiences, the food, the locations and the people were all excellent. A huge thank you to Ruben and Yvonne for creating a magical experience. I would travel with them again anytime.

By Tracy M for Magical Mexico with Denver Botanic Gardens 2025 on Mar 02, 2025

The birding was excellent. Chip is a good birding guide. My one complaint is that Chip does not plan dinners well. One night he was still fiddling around trying to find a place for us to eat and it was already 8:00 pm. We finally said, let's just go to Olive Garden. Plus, he likes food that guys like. We were a group of 8 women. We tend towards foods like chicken and brocolli, not spicy heavy BBQ - which by the way is ok once in a while. I think it would be helpful to have dinner reservations made in advance of our trip. I understand Chip's desire to avoid chain restaurants but sometimes that's the best choice available. Also it would be nice to have a little "down time" between birding and dinner time.

By Jane B for South Texas Winter Birding Hotspots - Whooping Cranes & More on Feb 28, 2025

My second time signing up for this trip and it fulfilled all my wildest hopes for finding so many unique owl species. We were thrilled to spend time and photograph 7 different species in the 6 days of the trip. Not to mention all the fun smaller birds (super cute Red Pols, Cross bills and Grosbeaks) and exciting mammals (pine marten!) Sheridan had our mojo going and an amazing travel group rounded out a wonderful adventure (despite sub zero temps - who noticed?)

By Melanie P for Minnesota’s Winter Owl and Wildlife Hotspots on Feb 27, 2025

This was a top-notch trip with fun people and a wonderful guide. Sheridan was incredibly knowledgeable and accommodating. She was also extremely respectful of the wildlife and their well-being. She was very good at making sure everyone's needs were met and focused on any target species we wanted to see. We all came away very pleased and excited about all the wildlife we saw. I am definitely looking forward to another trip with Reefs to Rockies.