(StatePoint) Spring is here, which means it’s time to slip those green thumbs into some gardening gloves.

The 16th annual Sandhill Crane Festival is this weekend, with all of the activities centered at Hutchins Street Square.

Celebrating the return of the stunning cranes to their winter habitat, the Sandhill Crane Festival will give bird lovers an opportunity to learn about the animals as well as see them in person.

Geese lounged close together, a snake slithered about on a display table and ducks of all shapes and sizes soared overhead at Robert L. McCaffrey Middle School on Saturday, as hundreds came to celebrate Galt’s fifth annual Winter Bird Festival.

Her first day as a freshman, Emma Greene set a goal to become class valedictorian. After facing unique challenges and setbacks, and with the love and support of her family and friends, Greene has prevailed.

It may seem like a routine maintenance job for San Joaquin County — giving Acampo Road a fresh coat of asphalt — but there had better not be any migratory birds in the area, according to San Joaquin County and state officials.

Shoppers entering Staples are being greeted by a swarm of barn swallows that have appropriated part of the store's roof area as their nesting ground.

Shoppers entering Staples are being greeted by a swarm of barn swallows that have appropriated part of the store’s roof area as their nesting ground.

Fran Bennett of Old Shasta earnestly peers through her small Minolta binoculars in an attempt to see flocks of Sandhill Cranes as they fly overhead.

Fran Bennett of Old Shasta earnestly peers through her small Minolta binoculars in an attempt to see flocks of Sandhill Cranes as they fly overhead.