I genuinely want to go, I have wanted to for years but I annually find myself looking at the calendar and open-palm smacking my forehead because I let it slip past me again. In case you haven’t deduced by the title, I’m talking about the Sandhill Crane Festival! I think my delinquency issue stems from the fact the arrival of the cranes coincides with my daughter’s arrival date as well. Apparently little kid birthday party planning consumed any of the surplus space left in my brain after working all week. Over the years she’s had delightful birthday parties with her little buddies at the charming and educational Folsom Zoo Sanctuary (that one was my favorite), the quintessential Sacramento lil’ kid party spots like Funderland and Fairytale Town, and a stinky bouncy house place that smelled like dirty socks and sweaty little kids. Unfortunately, while being deep into her girly-girl era and following the sub-teen status quo, my kiddo never wanted a destination birthday party at a festival for big, gray birds. Consequently, during the crane’s advent, I was always knee deep in cupcakes and party favors; but, seeing as how this year she’s turning 24 (time goes way too fast!) I find myself relatively unrestricted for at least a bit of the jubilee and so I shall finally go. The Sandhill Crane Festival began in 1997 through a partnership with the Lodi Sandhill Crane Association, the City of Lodi, the Lodi Chamber of Commerce, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and a throng of local volunteers and fellow crane enthusiasts. The goal of the festival was, and still is, to promote Sandhill Crane conservation focusing primarily on California’s Delta region. The Delta is where the saltwater from the San Francisco Bay combines with freshwater from major rivers such as the Sacramento and the San Joaquin (along with other smaller waterways), creating the largest estuary on the West Coast. This ecosystem is a vital piece of the Pacific Flyway - one of four flightpaths for migrating birds in North America. The Pacific Flyway reaches from the Arctic tundra in Alaska south to Patagonia in South America. This flyway belt is about 4,000 miles long and 1,000 miles wide. Without conservation efforts here the birds traveling thousands of miles twice a year would have a tough time surviving the trip if the refueling and resting stops were not available to them or healthy enough to support the cranes and the other one billion birds that use the flyway biannually. Sandhill Cranes ( Antigone canadensis ) are hard to miss. They stand about five feet tall and have wingspans that range between five and seven feet - equivalent to Michael Jordan and LeBron James. They usually weigh-in around twelve pounds; that’s like a gallon of paint taking to the sky for about 2,000 miles. If their stature doesn’t impress you, their voices will. Their rolling, reverberating calls are a result of their anatomy. Their trachea (wind pipe) is very long and coils around their breastbone which lowers the pitch and amplifies the sound. Sandhill Cranes are social and live in pairs with their life-long mates or in family groups. When it's time for them to journey north or south, large groups of unrelated cranes congregate to migrate, forage and roost together as one large group. They’re among the oldest living birds in North America with fossils dating back an estimated two and a half million years ago; most modern-day birds’ lineages are estimated to be less than two million years old. Beginning in October, thousands of them begin to arrive here in the Central Valley from their northern breeding grounds to spend the winter months. Cranes are impressive aviators and take advantage of thermals to conserve energy on their journey. Some individuals can cover 500 miles a day! They fly with their necks and legs extended creating quite a spectacle in the sky with their silhouettes and their voices. Lodi isn’t the only place that celebrates Sandhill Cranes; Monte Vista, Colorado and the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge in Tennessee also host Sandhill Crane Festivals! If you’re interested in viewing these living dinosaurs here at home, pack up the family and of course your binoculars and take the short drive to Lodi. The festival is centered at the Hutchins Street Community Center at 125 S Hutchins Street, Lodi, CA and officially kicks off on November 6th and continues all weekend wrapping up on the 8th. But wait, there’s more (!) - there are some bonus pre-festival tours scheduled for November 4th and 5th. Admission is free for the main indoor exhibit hall, lectures and vendor areas and paid tickets are required for guided tours, boat cruises, workshops and special events. Tours include the Woodbridge Ecological Preserve, Staten Island and surrounding natural areas. The tours help educate visitors about how wildlife preserves and agricultural lands alike provide critical wintering habitat for resident and migratory bird species and highlight the presence of this magnificent and enduring species. They’re only here for a short while and if you’d like to come eye to eye with a five foot tall bird wearing the most spectacular scarlet crown you’ve ever seen, visit the festival with other Sandhill Crane aficionados. If you can’t make it that weekend, you can still see the cranes by visiting the Woodbridge Ecological Reserve and/or the Cosumnes River Preserve from October through February. Please note before you go that you will need a Lands Pass or a hunting or fishing license to enter the Woodbridge Ecological Reserve. To learn more about the festival and to book a tour, view scheduled presentations and workshops, learn more about the art show, vendors or exhibits, please visit https://lodisandhillcrane.org/about-the-festival/ . Back to the birthday parties… my kiddo just graduated with a biology degree and I know for a fact that she would now be thrilled to celebrate her birthday with the Sandhill Cranes! Times do change, Sandhill Cranes, it turns out, do not.