A little bit of cabin fever is beginning to set in here in the suburbs of Denver. 5 degrees below zero (Fahrenheit) this morning, with a fresh coat of snow on the ground. If I were a real man, I’d be out there with a snow shovel or snow blower. It can wait, I don’t need to go anywhere at the moment.

What’s with the sandhill crane photo today?  Well, I’ll tell you. I did a trip to Bosque del Apache back in December to photograph the cranes, but there’s more to it. It won’t be long before those cranes start migrating north again, and one of their stops in early March will be Monte Vista, Colorado. My intention is to be there around the 2nd week of March and photograph that migration. It’s an annual thing for me. So today, I’m looking out the window of my office and thinking about better weather and something more interesting than shoveling snow.

Today’s photo was made in Monte Vista, Colorado in March of 2018.

One of the interesting things about the cranes is their behavior is different from Bosque del Apache, which is their wintering grounds, vs their behavior in Monte Vista, which is a northern migration and the beginning of their breeding season. They do these mating ritual dances in the spring. You won’t see them hopping around too much in Bosque. That’s why I am going for them twice this time. Every year is a little different, but the birds are always interesting and the trips to photograph them are always enjoyable.

I don’t know who if anyone will be joining me on this year’s trip, but I’ll be going regardless. I just can’t miss out on one of the most interesting wildlife migrations in North America.