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.