Welcome to this week’s edition of Nature Friday. As we always do on Friday’s, we’re joining Rosy and Sunny from the Adventures of the LLB Gang. Don’t forget to click on their link to see what others have shared for their Nature Friday blog hop. Coincidently this is the second Friday the 13th after last month’s Friday the 13th. As you ;probably know, Friday the 13th happens when the 13th day of the month of the Gregorian calendar falls on a Friday, and that can happen up to three times in a year. This year will have three with the final one happening in November. Here’s a little background surrounding Friday the 13th.
According to folklore, the number “13” is considered unlucky. Based on a Norse myth, 12 gods met for a dinner party in Valhalla. The mischief maker Loki, who had not been invited, arrived as the 13th guest, and arranged for Höðr to shoot Balder with a mistletoe-tipped arrow. After Balder died, Earth became dark and the day was thought to be a bad, unlucky day. Norse mythology believed the number 13 to be unlucky and combining Fridays and the number 13 are considered unlucky in Western superisition.
Another month and another Friday the 13th. What’s up with that? Mum said 2026 will experience three this year, with the next one not until November. Here’s a bit of background on the history of Friday the 13th. According to folklore, the number “13” is considered unlucky. Based on a Norse myth, 12 gods met for a dinner party in Valhalla. That mischief maker, Loki, who had not been invited, arrived as the 13th guest, and arranged for Höðr to shoot Balder with a mistletoe-tipped arrow. After Balder died, Earth became dark, and mourned and the day was thought to be a bad, unlucky day. Norse mythology believed the number 13 to be unlucky and both Fridays and the number 13 are considered unlucky in Western superisition. Now that you know more about Friday the 13th, let’s move on with this week’s photos.
Wilson: Mum used to live in Monte Vista for a few years and her son decided to check out the Sandhill Crane Festival last weekend at the Wildlife Refuge there. So he decided to check it out and brought back this image. After wintering near the US/Mexico border, the cranes began to arrive in the “Valley” in early February, feeding on grain and natural grasses in the area. Did you know that cranes mate for life and every Spring they do their ritual mating dance that includes dancing, bowing, chortling, and throwing tufts of grass in the air. They will continue on their pilgrimage to the far upper Midwest and southern Canada later in the month where they’ll raise their young and then return south again in early autumn. You can see it directly on YouTube here.
The Mum: I was really excited (and a bit jealous) that Kevin was able to see the cranes in person during the festival (I prefer seeing the refuge before or after the actual festival to avoid all the looky-loos). But I was glad he got to experience it. Seeing some 20,000 birds in one place in the San Luis Valley is something else. I had visited the refuge back when we lived in Monte Vista in the late 70’s.
Wilson: Their noise made me keep looking at your screen, Mum. What a racket! But how cool was that to see? We really have experienced just about everything weather-wise this week. It snowed all day last Friday and left a good 5+ inches of wet, white stuff. Two days later you could barely tell we had received any when our temps reaching 73F (22.7C) on Monday. The weather has bounced up and down all week long…the only constant all week long being the multiple high wind warnings.
The Mum: On Monday we decided to check out the Ralston Creek Trail in the opposite direction to see how things fared in the storm. We’ve gone that way a couple of times in the past and came to the conclusion it’s very different from our usual route. The landscape suggests there may be beavers in the area but we saw no sign of any dens and noted the creek is narrow and rather shallow so I’m not sure how to explain the first photo.
Wilson: The City has been working on water improvements and flushed a few hydrants into the creek. It’s not normally that deep, at least it hasn’t been since we’ve moved into the area.
The Mum: Right, House Pony. I had one day of errands in the old neighborhood and walked past the magnolia tree a block away from our old house. It was covered with buds-more than ever this year. It’s going to be beautiful once they open presuming the wind or a freeze won’t hurt them. We have our paws crossed. It’s such a lovely tree and I felt a little bit of nostalgia walking through the neighborhood which was surprisingly more springlike than our own.
Wilson: That’s all we have to share this week. Next week we’ll officially welcome more view of spring and hopefully we can find more evidence of its arrival. Wish us luck. We hope you have a marvelous weekend and get outdoors to see signs of spring in your neighborhood. Do you have any special plans?
Live, love, bark! 🐾
So many Craness Wilson an Miss Monika!! It sure WAS a festival!!! Lookit all yore snow! Pawsum! Wee got yorre Colorado Low all last nite (Monday THE 16th) innto thsi mornin! Wee gotted 2-3 innchess of snow…iss OKay!! Wee liked watchin it tumbell down last nite.
Yore fotoss are lovelee speshelly THE tree bye THE river one.
How many dayss till Spring Miss M??
Mew mew mew BellaDharma an **giggellss** BellaSita Mum
Thank you, sweet kitty and mum. That tree is my favorite along the canal. Spring officially arrives on Friday. Yay!
Glad you enjoyed seeing the sandhill cranes. They are such cool birds.
Wee think all Birdss are kewl…You nose tHE littel Sparrowss nose when they heer patio door open there will bee seedss. When BellaSita comess back inn; they fly rite over an start eatin…there iss Capt Jack an Sarge an Woody an many many more…..
The racoons and squirrels are the same way. Little opportunists!
THE Pigeons heer are two! Two tipss an Speckless eat Kitty Kibble!! Iss inn Tote Sheltur. They hop inn an snack!! MOL 🙂
How cool about ths cranes festival!
Love Magnolia trees. Lived in South Carolina for a year and saw beautiful ones.
Happy weekend!! We are definitely enjoying this weekend! Cold and snow are certainly far away and out of my mind. 😊
Trust me…they headed toward your home. It’s been snowing all day here. 😉
Watching the cranes was always fascinating. Such remarkable birds…and very TALL!
Well, we won’t be there to get it! 🙂
Would be fun to see 👀 them!
Oona: “Oona is a black cat. She does not have superstitions. SHE IS THE SUPERSTITION!”
Haha…good point, Oona!
Aren’t Sandhill cranes the coolest??!!
Thanks for a beautiful walk, our trees are starting to blossom here too!
xoxo,
Rosy & Sunny
They are truly! I lived watching them feed in the marshes at the refuge. And they make the funniest sound. So much fun.
Sure hope we get some moisture soon. With our windy days, it’s dry as a bone. Again…er still. Have a swell weekend!
What a treat for Kevin to see and hear the cranes Monika and thank you so much for sharing the video here too! The magnolia looks magnificent and we wish you all a magical weekend 🥰❤️🐾 xxx
Many thanks, Xenia. The video was a lovely surprise, I was only expecting a few still pics. The video reminded me how beautiful the San Luis Valley is. May your weekend be full of joy and wonder.
I always enjoy taking a walk with you. The cranes are amazing, thank your son for us for sending the video.
Aww, you’re too kind. Thank you. Folks are always welcome on our Friday tours. Wilson and I both hope you have an absolutely spectacular weekend!
That is a lot of birds and it would be crazy to see them all, almost frightening! February was a perfect month as it filled all the squares on a calendar and it had Friday the 13th which is why we get another this month. Mom happens to really like the number 13, so it doesn’t bother us much. Have a good weekend!
There are usually about 20,000 birds who stop there to rest before moving north to mate. The noise is really something but not scary-more like fascinating. They are quite interesting birds and even a few whooping cranes show up during the semi-annual migration. We hope you have a great weekend at the trials!
Exciting week of transitions. Our week was one of extremes, too.
Seeing the cranes must have been so awesome for your son!
And next week is the equinox, can you believe it?! 🥳
Lots of up and downs with the temperatures which will continue to next week. We hope the official arrival of spring brings more stable weather patterns. Wishing you a fantastic weekend.
Our star magnolia buds are plump from our 70+ days. Now we are back in the 30s and 40s. Hopefully they will survive!
We’ve got our paws crossed the buds bloom despite a dip in the temps. 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼
WOW! That is a lot of cranes. Interesting information on Friday the 13th. XO
Yup, there are often about 20,000 birds arriving on their way north where they’ll mate and raise chicks. They will return in early autumn to winter in northern Mexico. Hope you had a safe and wonderful 13th. Have a great weekend.
I didn’t know there was a crane festival Wilson, bet that would be fun. Exploring down by the creek looks like fun too. Come on Spring!
Thanks, Terry. The cranes have always been a big deal in Monte Vista but the festival didn’t begin until 1984. When I first took them in, I spent a quiet day walking around the refuge while they honked their heads off. Now they offer tours, lectures, live-bird exhibits, photography classes and an arts and crafts show. But the biggest draws remain the scenic San Luis Valley and the tens of thousands of sandhill cranes and other unique wildlife. Here’s hoping you and the kitties have a wonderful weekend.
WOW – that was some “crane festival” with a whole lot of participants! LOL We have a FEW signs of Spring here but very few……our Spring makes most plants afraid to show themselves too much because we easily have a day in the 80s followed by snow and temps in the 20s that night. The forsythia is JUST beginning to peek out but it’s more brave than anything else! YAY FOR SPRING.
Hugs, Pam
See those magnificent birds is really quite an experience. We’re sure that the arrival of Spring will start speeding up over the next several days. Have an enjoyable weekend.
A beautiful walk today, Monika Your photos are terrific. I love those plump magnolias. Loved the cranes.
Many thanks, John. You’re always too kind. Glad you enjoyed the pics. There’s always something nice about seeing “spring ready to emerge” photos. Have a swell weekend!
absolutely stunning! I love the video too!
Why thank you! Glad you enjoyed them. We hope you have a terrific weekend.
We have a crane festival here, near where we live in October, in a marsh where they all gather before migrating south. They are beginning to be back here again, I can hear their raucous calls!
I saw a pair in a field on my way to work the other day…and we often have them strutting around the nursing home.
We are getting snow right now…along with very strong winds…we have multiple power outs around here, but thankfully not at our village…and we hope it stays that way! Winter is having a last hurrah!
How cool is that! When I went to the refuge I saw thousands of cranes and even a couple of whooping cranes. It was one of the coolest sights. Both breeds are pretty noisy but very cool to watch. Snow again, eh? Oh brother. It’s going to be quite chilly here on Sunday. Sure wish Mother Nature would calm down. Stay warm and have a lovely weekend.
We had a few mishaps today at work. The loos were blocked!! Someone had put a load of wet-wipes down and blocked the whole lot. And the scissor-lift broke at 7am, so we had to manually unload a lorry trailer… But other than that, the day passed without too much bad luck… 😀 😀 😀
Oh gosh…sounds like quite a mess. Hope your weekend is much better than that! Have a good one.
It all ended well, so cannot complain really 😀
That’s good news. 😊
Loving your pics of spring buds! How cool your son was able to see those amazing cranes in person!
I was completely gobsmacked at the sight of that plum tree and magnolia, budding out like that. What a glorious sight. We hope your weekend is totally fantastic. Heard it’s been a bit toasty in SD. Hope things cool down, it seems kind of early for mid 80’s in March.
Yes, we’ve been having a good amount of hot and dry weather lately. So much for that elusive 75 degrees it’s supposed to be around here!
And just to keep things interesting, the windchill is 8F today. Hopefully that will cool you off a bit. Brrrrr
Think spring!
Trying. It’s not easy when it’s 16F degrees. 😂
Always lovely to join you on your Friday walks. Last day of sun and sand for us, we leave tomorrow morning. I was rather pleased to miss the ice storm they had! Looking forward to seeing how much snow melted while I was away.
Have a groovy Friday! To think 6 years ago, this day was the day the world closed down. Also a Friday the 13th…
So thrilled you joined us today on your vacation-you’re so sweet. Thank you! It’ll be warm today and tomorrow but barely reach freezing on Sunday. Good thing I’m getting a massage-I need it for all this back and forth/up and down stuff! Safe travels home and enjoy a mellow weekend.
It was my pleasure. It’s nap time so I figured I’d catch up on my faves.
And good grief!! The weather is nuts. Gonna miss the steady 28ºC, tell you what…
You’re just too sweet. Thank you. Enjoy those warm temps…I think it’s gonna be chilly when you get home. Sorry.
I KNOW it will!!
We have the snow geese here during migration. Thousands of them, and it is a sight to behold. Our temps have been totally wonky and I cannot get used to it being 80 one day and 30 the next. I hope spring decides to make a more permanent presence here soon.
I love watching thousands of birds when they stop for a break. There’s little like it. Even those annoying Canadian Geese when there are tons of them descending on the nearby golf course.
If you figure out how to get used to those up and down temps, please share. Talk about whiplash! We’re going to be almost 70 today and warmer tomorrow, then a cold front moves in on Sunday and the high may be 30! Yeesh. Have a great weekend.
The cranes remind me of our girls’ trip to Michigan to see the cranes migrate. As the Grinch would say, oh the noise, noise, noise noise!! But it was beautiful noise! We are walking in a St. Patrick’s parade on Sunday handing out flyers for our Decibell concert. I’m the only ringer who said yes so I’m going to be running back and forth from side to side. At least the weather will be nice, predicting 70.
They are really noisy but so fascinating to watch. Sounds like you saw them on the scenic route.
Oh my heavens…you will be busy for the ringers. Make sure to keep a bottle of water nearby! And above all, have a terrific time!
We get Sandhill Cranes in Socal, too, but almost exclusively in the area of the Salton Sea, a generally dreadful place. The name of the area is the Sonny Bono Wildlife Reserve which always gives me a grin because I think of him, Cher and bunch of cranes all standing around singing I Got You Babe. OK, that’s enough internet for today….
Thanks for leaving me with that image! Tom to the rescue. Have a great weekend.
Our purple magnolia bloomed and was stunning! Then a freeze hit and all those beautiful blooms turned brown. The tree is still covered with dead blooms.
I can’t tell you how many times that happened over the years. But with the current 20-25 degrees above normal temps, I’m hopeful this tree will shine this spring. Have a great weekend!
🙂
Those cranes!
Aren’t they something else? Almost like dinosaurs in appearance but so fascinating. Wishing you a wonderful weekend. Hope you had a good trip to London.
Wilson, my youngest son always takes his best equipment and heads to Middle Tennessee, another stopping place for the migrating SandHill Cranes, He would have loved this.
How cool is that? There are several paths they take to reach their mating grounds. Such cool birds. Hope you have a terrific weekend!