Wednesday, June 1, 2011

A Pair of Sandhill Cranes

Sandhill Cranes put in a very spotty appearance here in Vermont, and so I was excited to read of  two cranes having been sighted just a few miles from where I live. I got there early this morning and had no trouble locating them foraging near the road around a large puddle in a field as they were slowly making their way from the muddy back edge to the vegetation in front.  I got out and used my car as a blind.





About the rusty discoloration of their plumage I found this in Birds of North America Online:
"Plumage becomes colored adventitiously from water, vegetation, and mud; additionally, Sandhill Cranes intentionally rub their plumage with soil, all of which causes variations in the plumage color ranging from drab-clay to cinnamon-rufous. Stained feathers occur anywhere below the mid-neck but are particularly apparent among the primary and secondary wing coverts and upper breast feathers." Authors Tacha, T. C., S. A. Nesbitt, and P. A. Voh



One showed darker discoloration than the other.

Sandhill Cranes are long-lived - up to 20 year - are monogamous, and stay together as a pair.




One of them ventured too close to a Red-winged Blackbird's nest and had to fend off an attack.





Stretching of wings but not taking off - just yet. I thought I had taken enough pics and had sat back down in the car, thus missing the dramatic end to the show as the pair took off, their clamor filling the the air with hoarse honking and loud swooshing of wings. They flew low and settled again at the far end of the field, well out of my lens' range.


Happy Birding! Please leave a comment.

13 comments:

  1. Wow that's for sure a bird I would love to see Hilke... Magnificent and the attack pictures are so cool ;-)

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  2. I stopped last night to see them and just wrote a bit about them on my blog! too funny!! Great pix!!

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  3. A wonderful encounter, Hilke! I would love for a pair to drop off close to my home. Beautiful photos...love that big wing stretch!

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  4. Hilke, Outstanding captures! I have hoped they would do a pit stop during migration at the nearby swamp but have yet to catch them there. The info is very interesting. Thanks for sharing your sighting.

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  5. Great photos Hilke!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

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  6. What a glorious experience! I enjoyed your awesome images coupled with interesting information. We hear many Sandhill Cranes in our marsh out back but I can never get close enough to photograph them, as they are quite shy. Wonderful post!

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  7. These are stunning photos, and stunning birds! have only seen them flying overhead (in the Midwest) Never up close...... Thanks for posting these!

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  8. So cool that you were able to see Sandhill Crane so close to home!

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  9. Great photos and nice explanation of coloration.

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  10. Outstanding Images,i tried to get close to these,but failed.
    Your shots are just Magic.
    John.

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  11. Wonderful series of photos! Glad you got to see these pretty birds.

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  12. Great post and some very stunning images. Well done!

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  13. Absolutely spectacular photos! I'd kill to even see one. Outstanding post!

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