Grab a sketchbook and your sense of adventure and come on down to the Monte Vista Crane Festival, March 12-14. Early spring in Colorado's San Luis Valley finds thousands of sandhill cranes loafing in the fields, resting and fueling up for the next leg of their northward journey. It also finds hundreds of bird enthusiasts lining the roads to watch them.I'll be there, gawping with the rest of 'em, but on Saturday morning I'll be leading a group in a little more focused observation. We'll start out at the Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge headquarters, then wander on out in to the refuge to spend some quality time experiencing the spectacle.
The Festival itself is free and open to the public. Field sketching workshop is Saturday morning, 9am-noon, with a $30 fee and a limit of 12 people. Registration form can be found on the Monte Vista Crane Festival website. Come on out! It's going to be a fun day.
PS: And just so you know, Sherrie workshop information can always be found on my Workshops web page.
Oh my - aren't they gorgeous! Has there been any data or just plain observations regarding numbers of birds? Do they seem to be holding pretty steady or are they in decline or. . . (wouldn't it be wonderful) incline?
ReplyDeleteLindy
We have thousands stop here for R&R in the spring and fall. They are certainly awe inspiring.
ReplyDeleteHi Lindy! I don't know much about the trends in sandhill data. It will be interesting to hear what they have to say in Monte Vista in March.
ReplyDeleteLucky you, Carole! There's nothing quite like the call of cranes in the morning...