10.16.2022

winged visitors

Mr. Nemo alerted me to something in our field. He was having a stare down. Whatever it was, had his full attention. Meanwhile, the other three horses munched away with no concerns.

I knew I would need to switch to my long lens. How does a monopod hide? After doing my typical where is my camera stuff shuffle, I quietly went outside to observe.

I found a pair of prehistoric looking creatures.

Guessing the female is on the right? I have a 50/50 chance of being right ;)

Sandhill cranes mate for life. This pair was bonded.
 


Ack! A human.


 ehem, not a good time to eat



walk this way and pretend we don't see her


I stood still at the edge of the field and wasn't even moving.

Simultaneously, they did an abrupt turn.

Notice wing placement. Interesting. How do they know?




let's fly this way


doing the squawk-n-fly



up, up


 and awaaay


Sandhills will be migrating through our area mid-November. There is an entire festival celebrating their migration. No doubt it attracts mega mobs. It would be interesting to observe the squawkers (they are super duper loud) in early morning/late afternoon. Their white feathers would glow. Or, I can just enjoy them peacefully in our fields.

5 comments:

Shirley said...

They are such a neat and big bird! We do get them here in the summer, and a week or so ago I heard first and then saw, a flock of them migrating. Very cool!

Linda said...

There’s a place where they return in Nebraska, my husband’s home state, and I’ve always wanted to visit when they’re there.

threecollie said...

Nice find! They are rare here and I am always excited to find one.

Val Ewing said...

I know that my old boss had a huge dislike for them as they nested not far from his farm in the valley and in his words: A noisy nuisance.
I saw a couple while hiking at KVR in one of the fields but they were far away.

Nice shooting! I'm not very skilled at catching many birds in flight yet!

:)

Far Side of Fifty said...

They are so fun to watch...sometimes we hear them overhead!