Seasonal Events - Eckert Crane Days

Eckert Crane Days Anywhere from early March to late April, depending on the arrival of spring, you can see the Greater Sandhill cranes in small and large flocks glide into Hart’s Basin and land at the Fruitgrowers Reservoir. The site is a major stopover for migrating cranes as they move from their wintering area around the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico to their breeding grounds in the northern United States and southern Canada. At the Reservoir you have the opportunity to watch them circle overhead, catching thermals to gain elevation in order to fly over the Grand Mesa, with elevations of 10,000 to 11,000 feet. Whether you come in the afternoons between 4:30pm and 6:30pm to see them land, or in the mornings between 9:00am and 11:00am to see them take off, it is quite a spectacular site. For more information you can go to the Black Canyon Audubon Society’s website. blackcanyonaudubon.org or eckertcranedays.com