10,000 Cranes

[mvjo...@gmail.com]

Numbers have increased at the Monte Vista Refuge and there are 8,000 to 10,000 cranes there now. Go to the usual drive turnouts and you will not be disappointed. Plus a few more thousand scattered across the San Luis Valley. They are not quite peak so more birds are expected. There are also good numbers of Cackling  and Canada Geese,  Mallards, Pintails, Gadwall, GW and Cinnamon Teal, Redhead and Ring-necked Ducks. Harriers float on the breezes. Bald Eagles send the flocks aloft when they happen by. At Blanca Wetlands (which is currently closed) biologists out there conducting water management saw a male Red-breasted merganser, rare for this Valley, this past week. Should be watched for.

John Rawinski

Monte Vista, CO 

[Susan Solomon]

In your experience, how long do you expect they’ll hang around?   We are planning a trip down and it would be great to know our time window.  We don’t need 10000, 1000 would be plenty!   

[mvjo...@gmail.com]

They are around until April 1st more or less. First two weeks of March maximum numbers and then a serious migration exodus in the last two weeks of March. 

J Rawinski

Monte Vista, CO