The EIGHTH ANNUAL ECKERT CRANE DAYS
Saturday, March 21 and
Sponsored by Surface Creek Winery & Gallery
and Co-Sponsored by The Black Canyon Chapter
of the Audubon Society.
PLEASE NOTE:THIS YEAR WE ARE SCHEDULING CRANE DAYS EVENTS A WEEK LATER THAN WE HAVE IN PAST YEARS. IN RECENT YEARS WE HAVE EXPERIENCED SEVERE WINTER WEATHER THAT HAS DELAYED THE CRANES' MIGRATION THROUGH HART'S BASIN.
THERE IS ALWAYS UNCERTAINTY WHEN PREDICTING WILDLIFE BEHAVIOR. IF THIS SPRING'S WEATHER IS MILD, MANY CRANES MAY PASS THROUGH BEFORE OUR FIRST OFFICIAL PROGRAMS ON MARCH 21ST. PLEASE CHECK OUR CRANE COUNTS PAGE AFTER MARCH 1ST TO SEE HOW THE MIGRATION IS ACTUALLY PROGRESSING.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Saturday, March 21, 2009
LIFTOFF 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. (approximate Mt Daylight Savings Time)
One mile east of Eckert (Highway 65) on North Road at Fruitgrowers Reservoir.
Black Canyon Audubon Society (www.blackcanyonaudubon.org) will host a Sandhill Crane "Liftoff". Please meet on the east side of the Fruitgrowers Reservoir from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. to observe Sandhill cranes and other Water birds. BCAS members and others will share their knowledge and scopes with those who come for the experience. If you do not want to miss the takeoff, we strongly recommend that you arrive at the Reservoir before 9 a.m.
MORNING PRESENTATION 11:00 a.m.
John Vradenburg, Senior Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, Socorro, NMMany of the Sandhill Cranes that we see at Fruitgrowers Reservoir spent their winter months at the Bosque del Apache NWR. John's presentation will cover crane ecology from breeding through wintering, highlighting some of the RMP crane hotspots people are familiar with, like Grays Lake ID, San Luis Valley CO, and the Middle Rio Grande Valley of NM. John willI have some information from Mexico that he will also discuss. (The program will start at 11:00 a.m. (or later, if the Cranes are late taking off) at Surface Creek Winery & Gallery, 12983 Highway 65, Eckert, Colorado. )
AFTERNOON PRESENTATION 2:00 p.m.
Rich Durnan, Photographer, Ridgway, Colorado. (www.richdurnanphoto.com)Rich is an accomplished photographer and photographic educator. Rich will talk about photographing wildife with special attention to photographing birds generally and, more specifically, the Sandhill Cranes at Fruitgrowers Reservoir.
AFTERNOON LANDING OF CRANES AT FRUITGROWERS RESERVOIR 4:30 – 5:00 p.m. until Dusk
The next wave of migrating Sandhill Cranes typically land at the Reservoir from 3.30 to dusk. Watching the Cranes land is a much different experience than watching them take off in the morning! (Black Canyon Audubon Society members will be available the next morning (Sunday) 8:30-10:00 a.m., if a sufficient number of cranes land Saturday afternoon.)
Saturday, March 28, 2009
LIFTOFF 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. (approximate Mt Daylight Savings Time)
One mile east of Eckert (Highway 65) on North Road at Fruitgrowers Reservoir.
Black Canyon Audubon Society (www.blackcanyonaudubon.org) will host a Sandhill Crane "Liftoff". Please meet on the east side of the Fruitgrowers Reservoir from 8:00AM to 10:00AM to observe Sandhill cranes and other Water birds. BCAS members and others will share their knowledge and scopes with those who come for the experience. If you do not want to miss the takeoff, we strongly recommend that you arrive at the Reservoir before 9:30 AM Mt Daylight Time .
Today we are offering a special theme -
WILDILIFE AND OUR SCENIC BYWAYS
Colorado's Scenic Byways offer a broad opportunity to see birds and other wildlife while viewing stunning scenery.
Delta County is blessed with the Grand Mesa and West Elk Loop Scenic Byways within its borders. Nearby we have the Unaweep/Tabeguache, San Juan Skyway, and Silver Thread & Alpine Loop Scenic Byways that add to the diversity of our experiences.
MORNING PRESENTATION 11:00 a.m
Trina Romero, Colorado Division of Wildlife, Watchable Wildlife Coordinator for the Northwest Region
The Grand Mesa and Unaweep/Tabeguache Byways offer very different wildlife habitats and wildlife watching opportunites. Trina will talk about both byways and the numbers and types of different species that we might expect to see in each location. Trina's talk will be supplemented by a variety of informational handouts. (The program will start at 11:00 a.m. (or later, if the Cranes are late taking off) at Surface Creek Winery & Gallery, 12983 Highway 65, Eckert, Colorado.)
AFTERNOON PRESENTATION 2:00 p.m.
John Spurgeon, Author of "Irrigating the Surface Creek Valley"
In addition to the wildlife watching and other recreational opportunities available to the public, the Grand Mesa provides the water that we rely on for irrigation and domestic use. Water from the Mesa also fills Fruitgrowers Reservoir, which has become one of the most important bird watching spots in Colorado. John will discuss the history of the water system that is the lifeblood of the Surface Creek Valley. John will also have autographed copies of his book, "Irrigating the Surface Creek Valley" available for sale. (The afternoon program will start at 2:00 p.m., at Surface Creek Winery & Gallery, 12983 Highway 65, Eckert, Colorado.)
AFTERNOON LANDING OF CRANES AT FRUITGROWERS RESERVOIR 4:30 – 5:00 p.m. until Dusk
The next wave of migrating Sandhill Crane typically land at the Reservoir from 3.30 to dusk. Watching the Cranes land is a much different experience than watching them take off in the morning! (Black Canyon Audubon Society members will be available the next morning (Sunday) 8:30-10:00 a.m., if a sufficient number of cranes land Saturday afternoon.)
