Sandhill Crane Migration - Monte Vista Colorado
In late February every year, some 20 - 25,000 sandhill cranes migrate to the small farming town of Monte Vista in Colorado's San Luis Valley. I was at the Monte Vista Wildlife Refuge before dawn hoping for some great shots of the cranes as they began their day. It was worth getting up early and braving the 25 degree morning to be there.
Sandhill cranes are big birds. They have a 6 foot wingspan, are about 4 feet tall, and live to be around 20 years old in the wild. These birds mate for life, and it's really entertaining to watch the males' mating dance as they try to attract the females. When they leave the San Luis Valley, they will head to their breeding grounds in Idaho.
Fossil evidence shows that they have been making this migration for millions of years.
I have been studying the traits and dispositions of the
"lower animals" (so called) and contrasting them with the traits and
dispositions of man. I find the result humiliating to me. ~Mark Twain,
Letters from the Earth, 1907
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