Welcome to Eckert Crane Days  -

The Second Hand Crane Festival!

New for 2010-Crane Days Winemaker Dinner!  Check Events Schedule for details.

Every Spring the Greater Sandhill Cranes begin their northward migration through New Mexico and the San Luis Valley of Colorado.

The Valley celebrates the cranes that gather for several days or weeks (The Monte Vista Crane Festival - March 13th).  Once the cranes leave the Valley they start their migration in earnest - just stopping overnight (except when severe weather grounds them for an extra day.).  

The primary first stop for the most of the Cranes leaving the San Luis Valley is Hart's Basin and Fruitgrowers Reservoir in Eckert, Colorado.  Eckert is located below the Southern rim of the world's largest flat-top mountain, the Grand Mesa.  

When the Sandhills arrive here, the end of Winter is announced by one of nature's most impressive heralds of Spring.   From early March to mid-April, Greater Sandhill Cranes in small and large flocks glide into Hart's Basin in the Surface Creek Valley, and land at Fruitgrower's Reservoir east of Eckert.  Many, if not most, of the 20,000+ birds migrating from the San Luis Valley come to the reservoir for an overnight stay to rest, feed, and regroup, relying on the reservoir's water and wetlands for protection, and adjacent agricultural lands for food.  

The following morning they lift off in an organized mayhem of flight and sound that cannot be forgotten.

Eckert Crane Days celebrates the birds in a special place, in a special way.  Visit our Events Schedule page to see the special offerings this year.