Spring Return by Kathy Simpson
Photo Credit: Kathy Simpson

Crane Fest Feature Film in Craig: Cranes of the Rockies

Wednesday, August 31, 2022 - 7:00pm to 7:45pm
  • West Twin Cinema, 29 E. Victory Way, Craig
An award-winning documentary film screening in Craig for the 11th annual Yampa Valley Crane Festival!

Featuring gorgeous images of their behavior, habitats, breeding and migration, filmmaker Michael Bennett reveals the beautiful story of a year in the life of the Rocky Mountain Population of Greater Sandhill Cranes. Standing up to 5 feet in height and with a wingspan of over 6 feet some 20,000 of these cranes migrate each year along the rugged spine of the Rocky Mountains. This documentary follows the migration of the cranes from their nesting areas in the greater Yellowstone Basin, to the vast San Luis Valley in South Central Colorado where they stage in the spring and the fall. In the thousands cranes filter into the valley where their courtship displays of dancing, hopping, and bowing can be seen. Winter brings the cranes to Bosque del Apache where they wait for the long winter before heading back to their eternal nesting grounds to the north.

About the Yampa Valley Crane Festival: Sept. 1-4, 2022

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 Yampa Valley Crane Festival celebrates these iconic birds with daily crane viewings, expert speakers, films, art exhibits, workshops, family activities and more. Bud Werner Memorial Library is festival headquarters and the venue for many of these talks, films and events. Learn more about the 11th annual Yampa Valley Crane Festival.