Sandhill Crane Start Week 6

Sandhill Crane At the start of week six, the wings and tail feathers are definitely growing into real feathers, pushing off the down.

Sandhill Crane The stride casually covers a couple of feet, but on the run can span up to several feet at a time.

Sandhill Crane Part of the daily routine are a huge number of naps. Another is about to start.

Sandhill Crane The mandatory guard parent is also drowsy, but takes the opportunity of the pause to do a bit of careful grooming.

Sandhill Crane Out of character in the daytime, a parent lays down to rest. Of course the juvenile gets up soon after that.

Sandhill Crane A tired adult nods off, head swaying back and forth it starts to doze.

Sandhill Crane Up again, waking the parent. The other parent stands nearby, doing the real guard duty.

Sandhill Crane Finally up for another feeding stint, the juvenile goes through a few wing stretches to limber up.

Sandhill Crane It spends a fair amount of time running from parent to parent when they offer morsels of food.

Sandhill Crane This one looks like a live hornet.

Sandhill Crane Synchronized strolling and eating.

Sandhill Crane The almost independent juvenile leads the way.

Sandhill Crane Lift off. Some vigorous flapping and a little jump and it gets off the ground a few inches.

Sandhill Crane More flapping while attached to the earth. The vanishing down feathers on the ends of the flight feathers are quite visible.

Sandhill Crane Tucking the wings back in.

Sandhill Crane More food from a dutiful parent.

Sandhill Crane The base of a tree in the shade proves interesting for awhile.

Sandhill Crane Silhouette of the day.

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No photograph from this blog may be reproduced or used
in any form or by any means whatsover.

Common Yellowthroat

Common Yellowthroat Early morning wing cleanings in the bright sunlight. Right wing first.

Common Yellowthroat On top of the right wing.

Common Yellowthroat A good stretch out, like a traffic signal. Go this way, not the other.

American Robin Two sat quietly grooming themselves in the gravel until one suddenly decided a dive bombing was in order.

American Goldfinch Perched in the thistles while looking for seeds, probably for nesting, if not food.

House Wren Squatter in an house intended for another species.

Indigo Bunting High on a bare branch as it sings loudly away.

Eastern Bluebird A simple and elegant beauty, along with a equally quiet call and pristine song.

Eastern Kingbird On the lookout for trouble as it usually allows no other birds in its territory. None at all.

Great Crested Flycatcher Everywhere, yet often not seen as they prefer the high canopy of the tree tops.

Gray Catbird Giving out one of its namesake meowing calls.

Eastern Meadowlark This one was doing its chatter, but seemed to believe it was performing a good Meadowlark song.

Sandhill Crane One of two parents and a colt foraging a small prairie.

Sandhill Crane One adult hung back where it thought the hunting had to be better, though it let out a bugle and soon followed.

Sandhill Crane One adult and the youngster.

Sandhill Crane The youngster alone. When it laid down to rest, the parents stoppped to stand guard, highly protective as ever.

Cliff Swallow An old barn in use as a cliff for dozens, if not hundreds of swallows.

Cliff Swallow Most of the swallows here are juveniles, flitting in and out with the sublime grace of all swallows.

© Michael Bailey All Rights Reserved; Not for reproduction.
No photograph from this blog may be reproduced or used
in any form or by any means whatsover.

Sandhill Crane Week 5

Sandhill Crane One of the two parents, bill muddied from foraging.

Sandhill Crane An impressively equipped foot of the same parent.

Sandhill Crane While the mate and the juvenile are about a hundred feet away, this one makes a kill.

Sandhill Crane Rather than eat the mouse, it brought it back down the trail, around the corner and looked for the chick to stand up and come get it. No response, so some excited wing flapping.

Sandhill Crane All this finally woke the resting youngster as the adult continued to dismantle the mouse.

Sandhill Crane The adult approaches an increasingly interested juvenile with a morsel from the kill it so carefully carried back.

Sandhill Crane Jiggling it around a bit to get complete attention.

Sandhill Crane Success. The juvenile takes the piece.

Sandhill Crane Still a bit out of it from the nap, the juvenile shows little interest, so the adult finishes off the meal in short order.

Sandhill Crane At last the youngster wakes up enough to do some necessary wing stretches. Flight is only two or three weeks away.

Sandhill Crane And off to forage, mostly on its own, but with an eye on the parents.

Sandhill Crane In among the bushes.

Sandhill Crane Neck feathers ruffled in a striking pattern.

Sandhill Crane With one adult always nearby, the juvenile scouts the tall grasses, concentrating on seeds and bugs.

Sandhill Crane Both parents scanning all directions at the sound of a passing person with a dog on a leash. A few days before a dog had started barking at them, so one adult actually chased it and the owner several hundred feet, causing dog and owner to run for it.

Sandhill Crane Giving the signal that it has food to offer by freezing, the adult waits for the juvenile to come and get it.

Sandhill Crane The amazing eye of the adult.

Sandhill Crane The fuzzed-up juvenile has to grow into the details. Learning to forage, though, means more mud on the bill.

Sandhill Crane A big part of the day is flapping the wings, strengthening the flight muscles as the feathers grow very rapidly.

Sandhill Crane Running around in circles and being goofy at times is also part of the day.

Sandhill Crane The brilliant color of the growing wings during a serious stretch.

Sandhill Crane Another angle.

Sandhill Crane And a full wing beat for a pretend flight.

Sandhill Crane All this stirred up one of the patient adults, used to daily flights, but completely earthbound until the juvenile can join them.

Sandhill Crane Another morsel off in the weeds.

Sandhill Crane Preparing for yet another little nap, the juvenile does a bit of careful preening.

Sandhill Crane Another snack from an adult.

Sandhill Crane A simultaneous leg and wing stretch.

Sandhill Crane Down for the nap. An adult moves up close to stand sentinel duty, never failing to keep a close guard on its safety.

© Michael Bailey All Rights Reserved; Not for reproduction.
No photograph from this blog may be reproduced or used
in any form or by any means whatsover.