Pages

Sandhill Crane, End Of Third Week



Sandhill Crane
Walking in front of a bowl of water put
out by a homeowner for the youngster.


Sandhill Crane
Striding along in a yard.


Sandhill Crane
Spotlit by the sun.


Sandhill Crane
The youngster is growing so quickly
that it's now up to the body of the parent.


Sandhill Crane
A cross-leg turn.


Sandhill Crane
Gaining more independence by the day, the
youngster is now searching for most of its own food.


Sandhill Crane
It also strolls well ahead of the parents.


Sandhill Crane
Wandering through a flower garden.


Sandhill Crane
Having been up for awhile, it finds it's becoming
tired. This does look all the world like a real yawn.


Sandhill Crane
First a bit more food.


Sandhill Crane
Then time to settle down, plop back on
the lower legs to the backward-bending
knees, and all the way down.


Sandhill Crane
It knows one parent is to the left,
so has to check to the right to find the other.


Sandhill Crane
A bit of pre-nap grooming.


Sandhill Crane
Under a stubby wing.


Sandhill Crane
And more vigorous about it.


Sandhill Crane
Farther down the back.


Sandhill Crane
And starting to settle.  Seeing
this nap starting, the parent moves
in close to give protection.


Sandhill Crane
It's backed up almost on top
of the drowsy youngster.


Sandhill Crane
One last yawn before the nap.


Sandhill Crane
And off to sleep for a bit while the parent
does a bit of grooming itself. Both parents
just stopped on the spot when the youngster laid down.

© 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 Start Of Third Week



Sandhill Crane
Following along behind a parent
in the hunt for food.


Sandhill Crane
Right now the task is to
watch what the parent finds.


Sandhill Crane
If it's offered, then it must be good.


Sandhill Crane
This time it's a large earthworm.


Sandhill Crane
A full-length, standing tall pose.


Sandhill Crane
So far the parent's head looks
huge next to the youngster.


Sandhill Crane
Thinking about hunting on its own.


Sandhill Crane
However, back to the more
skilled parent with predictable results.


Sandhill Crane
This time the tall stretch
is to actually look around.


Sandhill Crane
Mud on its bill from the ground
drilling, the parent dropped a morsel.


Sandhill Crane
Another worm.  Come running.


Sandhill Crane
Very big. Maybe too big.


Sandhill Crane
The parent patiently holds
it for the youngster to take.


Sandhill Crane
The worm was dropped on the first couple
of tries, so the parent swung it around
and subdued it further.


Sandhill Crane
Full of earthworm, the youngster runs
off after the other parent for more.


Sandhill Crane
And skids to a stop.


Sandhill Crane
Briefly, they all stroll closely together.


Sandhill Crane
Wings in action on a chase
to the other parent.


Sandhill Crane
Too excited, so a bit of an overshoot.


Sandhill Crane
They all stroll back the way they just came.

© 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 Second Week



Sandhill Crane
Barely over a week old, this is one chick
that survived from an original two eggs in the nest.


Sandhill Crane
The youngster had to sit
and rest fairly frequently.


Sandhill Crane
Every move by the parents was
closely followed since it meant food.


Sandhill Crane
Waiting, waiting, and standing as tall
as possible, just over knee-high of the parent.


Sandhill Crane
Its feathers are wet from walking
through the wet grass and sometimes laying down.


Sandhill Crane
Part of a large earthworm is offered.


Sandhill Crane
On to the next morsel.


Sandhill Crane
A large larvae of some sort.


Sandhill Crane
Sort of hunting for food on its own,
but it doesn't really have much of a clue yet.


Sandhill Crane
Very ready for whatever the parent has
found and is offering. Training to hunt
for food is already underway.


Sandhill Crane
Walking with somewhat of a totter and wobble at times.


Sandhill Crane
Starting to get a bit tired
from all the excitement of the food hunt.


Sandhill Crane
So the chick lays down and the parent
immediately surrounds it for protection.


Sandhill Crane
From the middle of June, when still an egg.
Here the the parent is adjusting the two eggs,
one of which survived.


Sandhill Crane
And back on the nest after the adjustment.
At least one of the chicks will hatch within
a week of this. One will be the youngster
whose growth is followed during the summer of 2016.

© 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.