When I lived in the San Luis Valley in Colorado (before moving to Costa Rica) an annual Festival celebrated the arrival of the Sandhill Cranes on their annual migration. The Cranes soared into the valley for about 10 days…by the thousands. Truly remarkable.

My friend and I were headed to the festival when we spotted a large group of the Cranes in a field next to the road. We pulled in to the parking lot of a shabby, abandoned small white building. We got out of the car and went to sit on a log defining the parking lot to quietly observe.

A guy in what looked like a park service uniform pulled into that parking lot and asked us to leave.

“What? We are just watching the birds!”

“This is government property, you’re not permitted to be here”

“But we just want to see the birds.”

“Ladies, if you don’t move on I’ll have to arrest you for trespassing”.

My friend and I shook our heads incredulously but we left. We still joke about almost being arrested for bird watching.

(from SVBC member Roni Chernin)