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A photograph by Michael Forsberg of sandhill cranes flying near the Platte River at sunset will be used for a U.S. postage stamp celebrating Nebraska’s 150th birthday as a state.

The stamp is part of the Postal Service’s statehood series and Lincoln Postmaster Kerry Kowalski said it will likely be available in March, Nebraska’s birthday month and the official beginning of the state’s sesquicentennial celebration.

Forsberg, a Lincoln conservation and wildlife photographer, said the photograph was shot about 15 years ago near Wood River.

These cranes were among the first wave of the evening landing on a sandbar. Once one group lands, others decide it is safe to land and join them, Forsberg said.

He said he wanted to make a picture that was different. He used a wide angle view that included the prairie, "where it sort of feels like you are hunkered down in the grass right next to the river and the birds are part of the landscape."

"It took several nights to make all that come together because it is not easy. But you get lucky once in a while. This was a special picture for me."

The Postal Service wanted something with the Platte River, which is fitting, said Forsberg. "The Platte is our lifeline.”