Nebraska: The Pine Ridge, Wildcats, and Sandhills

Black-headed Grosbeak © Barry Zimmer

There’s not a birder alive who has not seen, or does not dream of seeing, the spectacular March gathering of cranes on Nebraska’s Platte River. Fewer of us, though, know about the ornitho-riches just to the west, in the extraordinary landscapes of the Nebraska Panhandle. This new tour takes us to prairies, rugged buttes and escarpments, and lush wetlands in search of a fascinating mix of eastern and western specialties.

Our new tour begins on the Nebraska Pine Ridge, where pine-topped cliffs and monumental buttes rise from the prairie. Elk graze the grasslands, while Bighorn Sheep teeter on the steep slopes. Common nesting birds here include Lazuli Buntings, Black-headed Grosbeaks, and Violet-green Swallows. South of the Ridge, the shortgrass is home to an abundance of Horned Larks, Lark Sparrows, Lark Buntings, and Western Meadowlarks. Swainson’s and Ferruginous hawks and Golden Eagles nest on outcrops, and hunting Prairie Falcons wander down from the Pine Ridge canyons. Thick-billed (formerly McCown’s) and Chestnut-collared longspurs, Brewer’s Sparrows, and even the occasional Sage Thrasher share the range with Pronghorn, Badgers, and Coyotes.

The buttes at Agate Springs are home to Rock Wrens, Say’s Phoebes, and Horned Lizards—and they conceal the remains of bear-dogs, rhinoceroses, camels, and other Miocene mammals, making Agate one of the world’s richest fossil beds. A few miles farther south, the Wildcat Hills are a forested tableland carved by water and wind into fantastic canyons. White-throated Swifts, Red Crossbills, and Lesser Goldfinches are usually among the summer residents.

In the Panhandle’s southwesternmost corner, the often elusive Mountain Plover will be high on our list; more than 100 pairs nest here. Cassin’s Sparrows and Sage Thrashers are present in some years and absent the next. These arid landscapes pose a vivid contrast to the lushness of the Nebraska Sandhills. The 19,000 square miles of Sandhills prairie are home to Long-billed Curlews, Upland Sandpipers, and Sharp-tailed Grouse. Trumpeter Swans, Redheads, and Ruddy Ducks breed on the marshes alongside American Bitterns, Western and Eared grebes, and Yellow-headed Blackbirds. A special treat is the abundance of breeding shorebirds, the most common Wilson’s Phalaropes and American Avocets, wonderful photographic subjects in their summer plumage. Black-necked Stilts, Piping Plovers, and Western Willets are also expected.

New habitats, new birds, and new experiences will leave you wanting to return again and again to the Nebraska Panhandle, an underbirded and underappreciated part of the world.

Good to basic accommodation and food, with at least two nights in each hotel to reduce packing and unpacking; physical demands generally light, with birding from the vehicle and on foot on roadsides and good trails; weather cool to warm, with low humidity and the possibility of occasional rain.

Mountain Plover © Brian Gibbons