LINCOLN, Neb. - Nebraska’s woodlands, prairies, waterways, and outdoors are bursting with life as yearly breeders and those passing through are in the Cornhusker state.

Spring bird migration is well underway and Allison Johnson of UNL’s Biological Studies Department says Nebraskaa’s a good state for migration because the variety the central flyway provides.

“Here in the midwest, we have this nice open space, there aren’t mountains,” Johnson said. “So they can move up through the middle and move north in a relatively nice easy path.”

While the central flyway is primarily known for the migration of waterfowl and the magnificent display of Sandhill Cranes on the Platte River, bright colored warblers, vireos, and passerines are around as well.

“Especially if you go towards the more wooded areas of the state,” Johnson said. “They’re still stopping, they’re foraging, they’re passing through before they go up north to their breeding grounds.”

Ideal places to act description include state parks like Indian Cave along the Missouri River and any number along the eastern platte. Johnson says migration is largely impacted in Nebraska by weather. In the case of the spring, birders may see more species after a night with a south wind.

“They’re like ‘Ope, theres a nice wind, there’s no storm in front of me, I need to get up and go now,’” Johnson said. “That’s because it’s just easier and you’ll go faster and have less food needed to fuel the trip.”