To celebrate the spring migration of greater sandhill cranes, a coalition of area organizations, businesses and wildlife agencies is holding the annual Monte Vista Crane Festival.
The festival runs today through Sunday. Free tours are offered at 7 a.m. and 4 p.m., when the birds are most active. Visitors take buses to various spots on the Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staffers talk about the migration and the refuge.
“Everyone who lives in Colorado should take the time to see this ancient and magnificent migration,” said Patt Dorsey, southwest regional manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Cranes are among the oldest living species on the planet: Fossil records for cranes date back 9 million years.
“The sights and sounds are absolutely amazing,” Dorsey said.
The birds are abundant in areas near the town of Monte Vista, and wildlife watchers can see the birds most readily in the Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge just south of town.
Birds also gather at the Rio Grande, Higel and Russell Lakes state wildlife areas. Cranes also are active at the Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge located southeast of the town of Alamosa.
The festival headquarters and starting point for the tours is the Ski Hi Park building near U.S. Highway 160 on Sherman Avenue on the east side of Monte Vista. Visitors can pick up maps, schedules and information at the headquarters.
Besides the tours, a variety of workshops are put on by bird, wildlife and photography experts. An arts and crafts fair continues through the weekend at the headquarters building.
The cranes are most active at dawn and dusk when they’re moving back and forth from their nighttime roosting areas.
The cranes start arriving in mid-February, flying from their winter nesting ground, primarily in New Mexico. The large wetland areas, wildlife refuges and grain fields in the San Luis Valley draw in about 25,000 birds, according to Parks and Wildlife. The cranes stop in the valley to rest and refuel for their trip north to their summer nesting and breeding grounds in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.
The birds that migrate through Colorado are the largest of the North American sandhill subspecies, standing 4 feet tall, having a wing-span of up to 7 feet and weighing in at 11 pounds, according to a Parks and Wildlife news release.
Besides their imposing size, the birds issue a continuous, distinctive and haunting call. At this time of year, cranes are engaged in their mating ritual and the birds perform an elegant hopping dance to gain the attention of other birds.
The number of cranes in the valley peaks in mid-March, and many linger through the month. So even if you can’t go this weekend, there’s still time to see the birds.
People also are asked to view birds from a distance with binoculars and spotting scopes, and to observe trail signs and closure notices.
The crane festival is organized by the local crane festival committee with help from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Rio Grande County, SLV Ski Hi Stampede, Monte Vista School District and the city of Monte Vista.
On the net
Monte Vista Crane Festival: www.cranefest.com
more about sandhill cranes: cpw.state.co.us. Click on the “wildlife species” tab, and then “species profiles”
