Yampa Valley Crane Festival Logo

2015 Yampa Valley Crane Festival: Sunday

Sunday, September 13, 2015 - 12:00am
  • Community-wide

The fourth annual Yampa Valley Crane Festival takes place September 10-14, 2015, in Steamboat Springs and Hayden.

The festival includes five days of mostly free events and the Bud Werner Memorial Library is festival headquarters.The detailed 2015 Yampa Valley Crane Festival schedule is available here.

Below is a quick guide to festival events for Sunday. Note that most events are free some activities, including crane viewing shuttles and events with limited space, will require advance registration and a nominal, non-refundable registration fee. These events are noted in the schedule and online registration opens on August 1, 2015.

Sunday at the Yampa Valley Crane Festival:

6:15  – 8 a.m.
Guided sunrise crane viewing with festival keynote speaker Paul Tebbel at a location to be announced. Shuttles depart Stockbridge Transit Center promptly at 5:45 a.m. Please arrive a few minutes early to get checked in for shuttles.
** Advance registration and $5 non-refundable fee required for all shuttles.

8 a.m.
Dutch treat coffee and scones at the Wild Goose Coffee Shop in Hayden.

8:30-10 a.m.
Guided bird walk with Ted Floyd, birder extraordinaire and editor of ABA’s Birding magazine and the Yampa Valley   Birding Club on The Nature Conservancy’s Carpenter Ranch.

10:15-11:15 a.m.
Building tour at The Nature Conservancy's historic Carpenter Ranch.

9 – 10:30 a.m.
Sketch-a-bird workshop taught by plein air painter Chula Beauregard with HawkQuest’s live birds and taxidermy cranes. The Library will provide supplies and all ages are welcome to take part in this free workshop in Library Hall.

9 – 9:45 a.m. / 10 – 10:45 a.m. / 11 – 11:45 a.m. / 12 – 12:45 p.m.
Birding by Pontoon Boat at Stagecoach State Park (four separate trips available): Enjoy a birding tour by boat along the shores of Stagecoach Reservoir. Although Sandhill Cranes may not be visible, plenty of other birds and wildlife should be. The tour will be led by a Colorado Parks and Wildlife naturalist and all ages are welcome. Life jackets will be provided. Please bring drinking water, sun block and your camera and binoculars. All vehicles entering the park are required to display a valid Colorado State Parks pass. (Daily pass available for $7 at park entrance.)
REGISTRATION IS FULL FOR THIS EVENT!

10:30 a.m. – noon
Crane code writing for ages 7 – 10 led by BookTrails in the Library Storytime Room. Cranes (and all birds) use complex cues and songs to communicate with each other. This session will explore different ways to communicate with others through secret codes and writing messages. Learn about crane communication and other neat facts while also getting to try your hand at human code writing!

10:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.
HawkQuest's live raptors:  A live hawk, owl, falcon and eagle will be on display on the Library Lawn. Visit with the raptors and learn about these amazing birds of prey.

11 a.m. – 3. p.m.
John Fielder's Gallery Show at The Depot

12:45 – 4 p.m.
Conclusion of crane yard art silent auction on the Library Lawn. Don’t miss your chance to take home a unique crane or family of cranes to grace your lawn. All cranes have been decorated by talented local artists and VIPs and all proceeds benefit the Colorado Crane Conservation Coalition.

1:30 – 2 p.m.
Screening of A Fledge for Freedom in Library Hall. This film by Nina Faust is about the challenges of raising a crane colt and teaching it to fly. It was filmed at the Kachemak Crane Watch in Homer, Alaska.

2:15 – 2:30 p.m.
Photography Contest award presentation in Library Hall with prizes donated by Mogil’s on the Mountain.

2:30 – 4 p.m.
“Birds of Prey” talk by HawkQuest in Library Hall for ages 8 and up.Following up on a weekend of visiting with HawkQuest's live hawk, owl, falcon and eagle at the booth on the Library Lawn, HawkQuest founder Kin Quitugua presents a community talk designed to educate about the importance of different raptor species, their specially-adapted tools, and their role in our ecosystems. In this participatory program, students are able to observe the unique tools of the owl, the incredible talons and six-foot wingspan of the eagle, the aerodynamic features of the falcon, and the precision flying of the hawk, since his talk features the inclusion of a free-flying hawk.

4:15 – 4:50 p.m.
Screening of Raising Kid Colt in Library Hall. This film by Nina Faust follows the life of a sandhill crane family at the Kachemak Crane Watch in Homer, Alaska.

All day
Educational crane displays outside Library Hall.

About the Yampa Valley Crane Festival
The Greater Sandhill Crane is an iconic species of the Yampa Valley. Returning in the spring, cranes nest and raise their young in wetland areas throughout the valley. In late summer and early fall, hundreds of cranes from the Rocky Mountain flock join the local birds to rest and feed before continuing their journey south. The festival includes daily crane viewings, expert speakers, films, art exhibits, workshops, family activities and more. All community activities and events are free unless otherwise indicated in the program, and the Bud Werner Memorial Library will be home base for many of these talks, films and events.

Learn more about the festival at www.coloradocranes.org.