Of course, we came to Monte Vista to see the Sandhill Cranes. Monte Vista hosts a Sandhill Crane Festival every year in early March. We chose to visit, avoiding the crowds that visit the festival later in the week. On the day that we arrived, and on the next full day, it was very windy and gusty. Unfortunately, the cranes had hunkered down, often a long way from roads.
However, on our second full day, the weather was great, with no wind. The cranes were more dispersed and often feeding in grasslands closer to roads and designated parking areas. During the late afternoon, several groups of Sandhill Cranes left dispersed areas to join larger flocks that were located in feeding areas. I made this image of a family group as they left our viewing location.
During the course of the next hour, several groups gradually followed.
In this image, I captured a single crane as it was leaving to join the flock.
This pair of Sandhill cranes were flying low over the grassland as they took flight to join the larger flock.
And here is another group leaving.
Often the cranes fly in a close formation. However, in this image, I managed to capture a long line of cranes in flight; a panorama. I included the distant snow-covered mountains as a background.
