MONTE VISTA — For thousands of years, an unbelievable cascade of Greater Sandhill Cranes have poured down on the San Luis Valley near the end of winter as part of their northerly migration.
According to the National Park Service, more than 20,000 cranes can be expected to pass through the San Luis Valley during the migratory event with the Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge acting as one of the hot-spots for crane-centric activity.
After wintering in southern New Mexico, they begin to arrive in the San Luis Valley in early February, while winter temperatures may still drop below zero degrees F at night. While here, they build up energy by feasting on grains in agricultural fields and natural grasslands, as well as aquatic invertebrates and amphibians in wetlands. Cranes mate for life, and each spring they renew their bond through a courtship ritual that includes dancing, bowing, chortling, and throwing tufts of grass in the air. They leave again by late March for the northern US and Canada, where they raise their young.
Monte Vista celebrates the enormous clouds of birds coming and going through the region with their annual Crane Festival, which is typically held in early March.
WATCH: Thousands of Sandhill cranes descend upon Monte Vista Wildlife Rescue
If you're looking for the best place to view and snap some photos of this migratory event, you can find maps on the Crane Fest website.
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