Sandhill Crane End Of Week 10

Sandhill Crane At the end of a good stretch, protocol demands that the bill taps the ground for balance.

Sandhill Crane Made for aviation. Flights are becoming very frequent, with the parents following along.

Sandhill Crane The juvenile all fluffed up like some kind of over the top peacock.

Sandhill Crane The legs have turned black like those of the adults. Maturity a day at a time.

Sandhill Crane The bill has a little way to go, but the stare is impressive in intensity and thoughts.

Sandhill Crane Winding up the wings and the flght muscles for another circuit around the fly zone.

Sandhill Crane A few flaps and quick strides and the juvenile is airbone, legs trailing below.

Sandhill Crane Straight off toward the pond, but the invisible boundaries cause it to veer to the side.

Sandhill Crane A couple more flaps and the legs drop back down for a gradual landing.

Sandhill Crane Included is a full flare of the wings to >help brake on the short runway. A parent lands right behind.

Sandhill Crane After a brief pause and a few more worms and bugs, the juvenile is ready for another flight. Run and flap.

Sandhill Crane Up ten or fifteen feet, leveling off. It could be hundreds of feet up, and will be surprisingly soon.

Sandhill Crane And back down, bill open as if it's doing a brag about all the wonderful flying.

Sandhill Crane Throughout all the developments, the parents continue to feed the juvenile. Here a parent walks over with a cicada from twenty feet away.

Sandhill Crane All three working a particularly good spot. The juvenile size is now about halfway between that of the smaller female and the larger male.

Sandhill Crane Pedicures are part of the constant grooming.

Sandhill Crane A take-off from one corner of the mowed area, tantilizingly aimed straight at the open water of the pond.

Sandhill Crane Quick strides and an increasingly easy and powerful downstroke.

Sandhill Crane Up and banking skillfully, veering at that invisible boundary of the known safe zone again.

Sandhill Crane Still more strokes for altitude.

Sandhill Crane Nearly twenty feet high, leveling off again, aiming for as far away as possible still within the open space.

Sandhill Crane Looking just like an adult flying over, Miles and miles to go. The invisible barrier will evaporate as if it never existed.

Sandhill Crane High enough that landing can be stage by stage, unhurried and precise.

Sandhill Crane Touchdown. Success. Flight height and distance have been increasingly so gradually that learning to land from speed has been done safely.

Sandhill Crane Keeping their meticulously close watch, the parents parachute in right behind the juvenile, as they do on every single flight.

Sandhill Crane A bit later, the juvenile drinks water from a thoughtfully set out wash basin it has known most of its life. It used to hop in and splash about when tiny.

Sandhill Crane Suddenly a brazen squirrel blundered in, scaring both itself and the juvenile, who jumped straight up to safety in a blink.

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