A wild ballet
As March ushers in spring, southern Colorado’s San Luis Valley becomes the stage for a natural marvel. Over 20,000, a staple since 1984, celebrates this grand avian assembly from March 8 to 10. Attendees are treated to a diverse array of activities, all free and donation-based. The program includes educational seminars led by wildlife experts, local naturalists, and biologists, offering insights into the cranes’ fascinating ecology. For early birds, sunrise and sunset tours provide a mesmerizing view of the cranes in flight. Photography workshops cater to shutterbugs aiming to capture the spectacle, while craft fairs and excursions to the nearby Great Sand Dunes National Park add variety to the festival. But the highlight remains the cranes themselves. Framed by mountains, a field full of cranes perform ritual courtship dances to woo their mates, leaping and bowing, flapping and croaking. It must be infectious, because when a sandhill crane chooses a mate, it’s for life. For those who get to witness it, it’s a memory that lasts a lifetime.
