Crane season in the San Luis Valley
Every March, twenty thousand sandhill cranes stop on the way north. Three springs of trying for one evening frame.
The cranes arrive in the San Luis Valley in late February and leave by early April. They roost in shallow water at night and fly out to the barley fields at sunrise — the sound of them lifting off is something you feel in your chest.
I wanted one specific picture: a single bird coming down in front of the Sangre de Cristo peaks while the snow still held the last pink light. It needs a clear evening, a bird in the right place and about four minutes of alpenglow. Two springs gave me nothing.
This year, on the second-to-last evening, a single crane dropped out of a passing flock right across the brightest part of the ridge. I took eleven frames; one has the wings fully open.
If you go: the refuge roads are open sunrise to sunset, stay in your car near the roosts and bring a long lens. The local crane festival in March is a good way to find the fields the birds are using that week.