We’re excited to welcome Kristi Dranginis, founder of Bird Mentor, as the keynote speaker for the 44th Annual Monte Vista Crane Festival, March 5–7, 2027.

Kristi has spent more than 20 years studying birds and helping other people learn how to see, hear and understand them in a whole new way. Through Bird Mentor, she teaches live and online courses designed to build confidence and curiosity while helping people develop a deeper connection with birds and the natural world.

Her approach goes beyond memorizing field marks or checking another species off a list. Kristi teaches what she calls instinctive birding: slowing down, paying attention and learning to recognize birds through behavior, sound, habitat and the many clues they offer us when we know how to look.

That makes her a natural fit for the Monte Vista Crane Festival.

Each spring, thousands of Sandhill Cranes arrive in the San Luis Valley, transforming the landscape with their unmistakable calls, dances and daily flights between wetlands and agricultural fields. The spectacle draws experienced birders from across the country, but it also captivates people who may have never picked up a pair of binoculars before.

Kristi’s work reminds us that there is room for everyone in birding.

In addition to founding Bird Mentor, Kristi has taught for organizations and outdoor education programs around the country. Her field experience has included bird banding on Great Gull Island, migratory bird research and hummingbird banding at Mesa Verde National Park. She also helped found the Dipper Project, which studied the effects of the Gold King Mine spill on birds along Colorado’s Animas River.

For festival visitors, her keynote will be an invitation to look a little closer — not only at the cranes that bring us together each March, but at the entire living landscape around them.

Kristi Dranginis will present the keynote address at the 2027 Monte Vista Crane Festival, March 5–7 in Monte Vista, Colorado. The keynote is included with a Festival Pass.

Stay tuned as we announce Kristi’s keynote program and more of the 2027 festival schedule.