So...the weather was 70's and sunny after our recent snow storm and freeze. As we were backing our beloved RV into its winter parking spot, my husband and I had a sudden revelation. We weren't ready to stop camping! So, we drove it home, packed it up and got out of Dodge as quickly as possible. First stop was Lathrop State Park where we found the scenery beautiful and the weather excellent. While there, we had this memorable Colorado experience. 

About 10 in the morning we heard cranes talking, looked up and saw six Sandhill Cranes fly over. They were fairly low in the sky and circling in formation as if looking for a landing spot. We knew they would want to feed during the day, so we left the park in the direction they were headed. We picked the closest county road and drove along in farm and pastureland for at least three hours hoping to see cranes feeding in the fields.  And we DID! A family of three were marching along in a golden field, the middle one clearly a 2017 addition to the family. It was an amazing experience...finding them like that. Although a farm dog kept us pinned up in our car, I was able to take a few pictures through the driver's window. What a trip!! 

The youngun' was between the two adults, and from time to time seemed more interested in eating than escaping the barking dog noise. The adults knew better.

What a delight! No need to drive over to Monte Vista where they have over a thousand currently. We do love cranes, but never better than finding a family of them on our own.

On our drive we were also treated to a Golden Eagle feasting on a dead pronghorn along with a bunch of ravens and magpies and a brief glimpse of a probable Peregrine Falcon and some other birds I'll post tomorrow.