Skip to Content
Sign In
Donate
Calendar
FAQs
Contact Us
It looks like your browser does not have JavaScript enabled. Please turn on JavaScript and try again.
COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE
Things To Do
Boating
Boat Inspection
Boat Registration
Boating Safety
Where to Go Boating
Camping
Camping Reservations
Learn to Camp
Camp in Cabins
Camp in Yurts
Family and Kids
Activities Backpacks
Resources for Kids
Wildlife Discovery
Fishing
Fishing Licenses
Learn to Fish
Where to Fish
Awards & Records
Fishing Report
Season Dates
Statewide Conditions
Stocking Report
Hunting
Hunting Licenses
Where to Hunt
5-Year Season Structure
Big Game
Mountain Lion
Small Game
Turkey
Waterfowl
Motorized Recreation
Off-Highway Vehicles
OHV Safety
OHV Trails
Snowmobiles
Register a Snowmobile
Register an OHV
Registration Locations
Outdoor Recreation
All Outdoor Activities
Biking
Geocaching
Hiking
Horseback Riding
Shooting Sports
Skiing & Snowshoeing
Trails
Volunteer
Watch Wildlife
Birding
Events & Festivals
Wildlife Sighting Forms
Learn
Conservation
Birds
Fish and Aquatics
Grassland Species
Mammals
Recovery & Conservation Plans
Sagebrush & Sage Species Conservation Strategy
Threatened & Endangered Species
Education
Archery in Schools
SOLE
Teacher Resources
Wild Classroom
Get Outdoors
Colorado Outdoors
Learn to Camp
Learn to Fish
Learn to Hunt
Library Backpacks
Survival Skills
Trails
Hunter Education
Hunter Ed - Online
Hunter Ed - Traditional
Hunter Outreach
Mountain Lion Exam
Learn about Wildlife
Living with Wildlife
Species Profiles
Research
Aquatic
Avian
Habitat
Mammal
Wildlife Health
Video
Video Library
Places to go
CPW Locations
CPW Office Locations
Fish Hatcheries
Sales Agents
Maps
Boatable Waters
Fishing Atlas
Hunting Atlas
Maps Library
Parks
Buy Park Passes
State Park Finder
CPW Passport
Host an event in a Park
Request a Parks Guide
Shooting Ranges
Cameo Complex
Ranges by Region
Shooting on Public Land
Trails
CO Birding Trail
Colorado Trail System
Wildlife Areas
State Trust Lands
Wildlife Area Finder
About us
About
Accessibility
Annual Reports
Leadership team
Military Benefits
What We Do
Wildlife Council
News and Media
Open Records Requests
Careers
Contact Us
Commission
Meetings
Members
Get Involved
Apply for a Grant
Donate
Park Resource Stewardship
Partners
River Watch
Sponsorship
Sportsperson's roundtable
Subscribe to Colorado Outdoors Magazine
Volunteer
Policy And Planning
SCORP
State Wildlife Action Plan
Strategic Planning
Programs
Colorado Natural Areas
Habitat Partnership Program
Invasive Species
Land & Water Management
Private Land Programs
River Outfitters
Trails
Rules and Regulations
Law Enforcement
Registrations & Permits
Regulations
Regulations Brochures
Special Wildlife Licenses
Wildlife Rehabilitation
Buy & Apply
Colorado Parks and Wildlife
About Us
CPW News Release
CPW News Release
RFW11
BGHuntingReservations
renew-park-pass
WildClassroom
All Site Content
CPW News Release
Page Image
Page Content
2/28/2020
Cranes make annual return to the San Luis Valley; Monte Vista Festival March 6-8
Cranes make annual return to the San Luis Valley; Monte Vista Festival March 6-8
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Joe Lewandowski
Southwest Region Public Information Officer
970-759-9590
/
joe.lewandowski@state.co.us
Cranes make annual return to San Luis Valley; Monte Vista Crane Festival, March 6-8
The sandhill cranes are back in the San Luis Valley on their spring migration.
Cranes make annual return to the San Luis Valley
MONTE VISTA, Colo. -- In the San Luis Valley nature is again putting on one of its most memorable displays: the spring migration of greater sandhill cranes. In appreciation of this wildlife spectacle, area organizations, businesses and wildlife agencies are holding the 37
th
Annual Monte Vista Crane Festival, March 6-8.
“Everyone who lives in Colorado should take the time to see this ancient and magnificent migration,” said Joe Lewandowski, public information officer for the Southwest Region of Colorado Parks and Wildlife. "This is one of only a few great wildlife migrations in the United States that people can easily see. The sights and sounds are amazing."
The cranes started arriving in mid-February, flying from their winter nesting grounds to the south, primarily in New Mexico. The large wetland areas, wildlife refuges and grain fields in the San Luis Valley draw in about 25,000 birds. The cranes stop in the valley to rest-up and re-fuel for their trip north to their summer nesting and breeding grounds in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.
Even if you can’t travel to the San Luis Valley during the weekend of the festival, there is still plenty of time to see the birds. The cranes usually stay in the valley for most of March.
Cranes are among the oldest living species on the planet: Fossil records for cranes date back 9 million years. The birds that migrate through Colorado are the largest of the North American sandhill subspecies standing 4-feet tall with a wing-span of up to 7 feet and weighing in at 11 pounds. Besides their imposing size, the birds issue a continuous and distinctive 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 birds are abundant in areas near the town of Monte Vista. They can be seen most readily in the Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge, about five miles south of town of Colorado Highway 15. Birds also gather at the Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge, southeast of the town of Alamosa, and at that Rio Grande, Higel and Russell Lakes state wildlife areas.
The cranes are most active at dawn and at dusk when they're moving from their nighttime roosting areas to fields where they feed. In the middle of the day, they “loaf” and eat in the grain fields of the Monte Vista refuge.
Be sure to dress warm, as winter still reigns in the valley.
During the three days of the festival, free tours are offered at 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. when the birds are most active. Visitors ride buses to various spots on the wildlife refuge and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staffers talk about the migration and the refuge. If you want to take a tour, be on time because the buses leave promptly.
Birdwatchers who travel on their own should be cautious when parking, getting out of vehicles and walking along roads. View birds from a distance with binoculars and spotting scopes, and observe trail signs and closure notices.
Many other bird species - including eagles, turkeys, and a variety of raptors and waterfowl – can also be seen throughout the San Luis Valley. Look in the many cottonwood trees for owl nests.
The festival headquarters and starting point for the tours is the Ski Hi Park building located 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.
Approximate distances to Monte Vista: Denver, 220 miles; Colorado Springs, 182 miles; Salida, 85 miles; Vail, 175 miles; Durango, 135 miles; Grand Junction, 230 miles.
For more information on the Monte Vista Crane Festival, see: mvcranefest.org; or
https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Monte_Vista
. For more information on State Wildlife Areas in the San Luis Valley, go to:
https://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo
.
Share
Tweet
Share
Forward
CPW is an enterprise agency, relying primarily on license sales, state parks fees and registration fees to support its operations, including: 41 state parks and more than 350 wildlife areas covering approximately 900,000 acres, management of fishing and hunting, wildlife watching, camping, motorized and non-motorized trails, boating and outdoor education. CPW's work contributes approximately $6 billion in total economic impact annually throughout Colorado.
Copyright ©
2020
Colorado Parks and Wildlife, All rights reserved.