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View Full Version : Crane Dance . . .

RJSorensen
29th of March 2005 (Tue), 18:37
On my way home this evening I found this lovely pair of Sand Hill Cranes doing that 'one' dance they do in the spring. ;) They are so much fun to watch. They pick up a corn husk or piece of string and throw it up in the air and play with it . . . a game of beak ball. Next they splay the wings and jump and make that wondrous croaks sound. Perhaps my favorite bird of spring.

20D/100-400
robertwgross
29th of March 2005 (Tue), 19:22
Excellent.

How far away were they?

---Bob Gross---
TammieO
29th of March 2005 (Tue), 19:24
Cool. You even got geese in the background.
RJSorensen
29th of March 2005 (Tue), 19:45
LOL, Tammie I have to try to crop out the geese . . . they are like pests when you are after Cranes. There are a bunch of green heads (Mallards) in this flooded corn field as well . . . kind of cute really.

Bob, I will guess 400 feet, this is a crop out of my full frame. Sometimes I get closer but for reasons beyond me, I get Crane Fever and 'choke' but there is always the morrow, and a challenge is often good.
sparker1
29th of March 2005 (Tue), 19:50
Good catch, really conveys the sense of their silly dance. Haven't seen any around here lately, but I've been thinking of hunting some of the whooping cranes they are teaching to migrate to Florida. Trouble is, they are some 70 miles from here, and you may never see even one of them.
CyberDyneSystems
29th of March 2005 (Tue), 20:15
This is beautifull!
RJSorensen
29th of March 2005 (Tue), 21:54
LOL, thank you CDS . . . I left the 1.4 TC in my bag, for a while at least.
Maureen Souza
29th of March 2005 (Tue), 21:57
They look like they are very entertaining..... nice photo, RJ, and thanks for keeping us all in tune to the wild world out there!
Maureen
robertwgross
29th of March 2005 (Tue), 22:12
Bob, I will guess 400 feet, this is a crop out of my full frame.

Yup. That is about as close as I've ever gotten to them. That is, the ones that winter in the areas near Maureen.

There will be four or five of them just standing around, and then all of a sudden one of them starts the dance. Apparently, it is part of the bonding behavior for them.

---Bob Gross---
ayotnoms
30th of March 2005 (Wed), 00:38
Always a pleasure seeing what you've captured. :-)
stoneylonesome
30th of March 2005 (Wed), 17:36
Another great one RJ. timing is everything :) :) :)
RJSorensen
30th of March 2005 (Wed), 20:46
Yes Sandy, that and being there. These Cranes are hard to focus on . . . being gray and the sky/weather here gray as well. But I will get a close up yet.

My kind regards to all whom have viewed and commented.