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Fruitgrowers Reservoir, north of Delta, is a favorite bird-watching spot for the Black Canyon Audubon society and birders from around the Western Slope.

While waterfowl can be found at the reservoir year-round, each spring, thousands of sandhill cranes stop to rest before flying 11,000 feet over the Grand Mesa on their way north.

People like the birds, one of the biggest in North America, because of their size and distinctive call, said Bruce Ackerman, president of the Black Canyon Audubon Society.

“We really like sandhill cranes because they're big, they're noisy, they are a kind of bird that evolved a long time ago, an ancient order of birds,” said Ackerman. Astute listeners notice the loud, slightly warbling “kruuuuuu” of the cranes, even when they’re flying high overhead.

Read more: https://www.rmpbs.org/blogs/news/sand...

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