Sandhill Cranes - Platte River Valley, Nebraska. At sundown, thousands of sandhill cranes start to gather on the Platte Rivers shallow sandbars to drink, bathe and roost for the night. Sandhill cranes roost on the unvegetated sandbars and islands in the widest channels of the Platte. These habitat areas are critical for cranes, providing their large numbers the safety they require from predators along the banks.