There's More Than Just Cranes to Entertain You at the Monte Vista NWR Crane Festival

[kevyg...@aol.com]

Hello Fellow Cobirders,

 

   Yesterday (3/7/26), while our team of CPW Volunteers was engaging the birders and other visitors who had gathered at one of the center-pivot fields where the cranes congregate in morning and evening to feast on the barley that is grown and cut (not harvested) to supplement their diet mid-journey to their nesting grounds, one of our team noticed two red-tailed hawks perched atop the center-pivot structure, one atop the pivot-point end of the structure, the other atop the other end of the first arch from the pivot-point.  Since the cranes hadn't yet shown up for dinner we put our scopes on the hawks and engaged the crowd in conversation about the hawks.  Apparently the hawks became aware of all the scopes and binoculars focused on them, because the male left his perch to copulate with the female, then returned to his perch.  A few minutes later he repeated the act, to ensure anyone who had missed the first photo op got a second chance.  A quick poll of the crowd revealed this was a first-ever experience for most of them.

Keep Smilin',

Kevin Corwin

west Centennial, Colorado

Sent from my Remington Rand Typewriter via my Rotary Dial Wall Phone