Cherish is my favorite word, and I cherish the ability of turning the routine into a beautiful moment.
Nature creates in me, a spiritual and meditative time to bring peace, harmony and balance, into an otherwise ordinary day~
Mary Howell Cromer







Thursday, February 22, 2018

Fifty Favorites of 1,219 Sandhill Crane Image Captures~

Above:  I arrived on site just as the sun was rising producing a pink glow on the birds~

Every year about this time the beautiful Sandhill Cranes begin to make their migration journey back up North.  Thousands of them will make their way through Kentucky and what an experience it has been to observe the last few years.  Three weeks ago I drove the hour and a half road trip to Cecelia, Kentucky.  For whatever reason they come by the thousands to this small rural town...all but a blip in the road and many will roost in the trees just behind and beyond the Fire Station #86.  There have been over 13,000 on the ground in surrounding fields at once this past season.  The morning that I was there with my pupcub Svetka, one of the leading birders in the state happened to also be there and said the count for the evening's roost the evening before was right at 4,000 birds.
As they stand in the fields, dance around one another that you could so easily put music to if you were so inclined, fly in the air singing their mystical, beautiful songs, they are just mesmerizing.  Standing at 45" in height with a wingspan of 72"  to see a single bird is a thrill, to watch hundreds of them rise from their roosting spot and take to the skies, making their voices known, no words can describe the absolute excitement.  I put it right up there to my love of when a jet plane either takes off, or lands...both are very wonderful experiences for me.
Last week I could hear them fly over our property through the closed glass doors.  I had trouble trying to see them and count them through the trees and so I got all three dogs in the car and drove up the lane where there was no tree obstruction...I counted over the course of a short while at least 1,000 birds heading to cross the Ohio River before nightfall.  I missed them totally, unless they are tiny specks somewhere in the background of my images two extremely rare Whooping Cranes that appeared the very next morning...HUGE SIGH... What magnificent creatures!
Now the sad news if you may not have been following me a few years ago when they passed the law here in Kentucky to hunt Sandhill Cranes.  Currently they have a few weeks January and February and they are seeking to extend that hunting period to make it a longer hunting season.  Don't get me started...I hate the thought.
Enough said and so now here is my presentation for this season with the Sandhill Cranes.  All of these were taken on my day journey to Cecelia~  




Remember to double click on the first image, to view a larger slideshow presentation after     you have read the narratives~

I am joining in the fun with Eileen at:
Saturday's Critter

Anni at:
http://id-rather-b-birdin.blogspot.com/ 
I'd Rather Be Birdin'
   
Maggie's  MOSAIC MONDAY
https://normandylife.blogspot.com/


 Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global 
   http://communalglobal.blogspot.ca/

Stewart for:








Loved how the Crane on the right seemed to be watching me watching them~





You can drive in large rural circles, take lanes that you have no idea where they lead, but so long as you can find water, or corn fields, you will most assuredly find hundreds of birds~






How do such large birds avoid collision?
They are such beautiful group fliers as they are as well when flying solo~




With mud on their beaks, they still look dazzling~




I could watch them take off and land every day...here is a landing with three Cranes~




Spending hours just watching and clicking off the camera was such a gift for me, I needed the time~











Look how large they are...this one was talking to friends right behind it~








This group were in the fields to the side of the Fire Station and they were not the least bit concerned with the loud cannon that the farmer to the far side of them kept going off.  He has Sheep lambing right now and the Pigeons and Europeans Starlings bring in disease.  So the BOOM noise would hit and the Cranes just kept doing what they were doing, almost oblivious to the sounds~






Here I come, ready, or not, hope I won't land on you down there~







The one in the front it just strutting it's stuff...so pretty!











The birds with the Ochre colouration are the young ones from last season~



This set is fun...I clicked the camera off as they did a fly around overhead getting ready to make their landing nearby~













And then these Cranes were doing just the opposite. 
They were shall I call it on the runway, awaiting take-off~










Then off they go, up, up and away~







I shared an image similar to this on Facebook for Valentines Day...can you see their red hearts on their heads?




Ought Oh, territorial quarrel~









Those younger birds seem to be in their very own parade with one bird taking a rest as in observing the others do their thing~





Did I mention that they dance...oh yes they seem to be~










And with these three Cranes I will close for this season with the Sandhill Cranes.  I took 1,219 images in the 5 hours I spent in Cecelia.  I deleted a couple hundred and then I narrowed it down to my favorites and these made the book, so to speak. 
Have a marvelous week, be safe, stay well~




15 comments:

  1. What a blessing that you are so close to their migratory route! Through your pictures, I can sense how overwhelmingly beautiful it is to witness this in person. Thank you for giving us a glimpse into this moment.

    On the sad note - what is the logic (!) behind allowing them to be hunted?

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  2. thasssallota cranes. You have some nice postcards there.

    Lovely.

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  3. Hello Mary, it was awesome you could make the trip to see these beautiful Sandhill Cranes. Your photos are all stunning, love the flights shots and the ground photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. I also appreciate your comment and visit. Happy Saturday, enjoy your day and weekend!

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  4. The Sandhill Cranes, they are beautiful. I love them when in the air, gorgeous.

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  5. An hour and a half (3 hours) is quite a drive but I can see why you do it Mary.It must really be a highlight of any birder's year. How sad that people wish to shoot such wonderful creatures for fun. I sometimes despair of the human race.
    It seems many years that I saw Sandhill Cranes, and then just a few in flight. How I'd love to see them again.

    I'm posting a link to boxing Brown Hares - enjoy.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07drxJtuqZ8

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  6. What a wonderful experience!
    Thanks for sharing your awesome photos
    Have a great weekend!

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  7. I love 'em...their size, their color, their calls! Great series Mary & thanks fir sharing these with us at
    I R B B

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  8. Wow! Amazing birds and amazing shots! So happy you get to see them migrating. And so MANY! Beautiful post, Mary!

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  9. Such an amazing experience. Thank you for sharing!! We witnessed Fall migration of snow geese and sandhills one year in New Mexico and I wish I'd gotten half as good pictures as you did here. So lovely. (I have to smile at Phil'ls comment above about your long drive -- while I appreciate very much that you made and shared it, such a drive is not too unusual here in the states is it!)

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  10. Amazing creatures. You sure got some awesome shots!

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  11. Photographing birds in flight is very difficult ! I admire your pictures!
    You are a great photographer!
    Greetings

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  12. We have seen...and heard...large flocks flying over our home here in Florida too. We counted over 200 in one photo. They sound like geese honking when they fly, don't they? It's exciting to see them and of course you've taken fantastic photos! Hugs!

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  13. Absolutely fascinating, I cannot imagine what it must have been like to watch them fly, land, strut about and interact on such a grand scale. Love the idea of them waiting on the runway ready for takeoff! The red markings on their heads are so beautiful, thank you for taking us along on your day out and showing me something I would never see in real life. Merci.

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  14. 1,219 photos! my goodness! It must have been an amazing sight to see them flying overhead on mass. We never get anything like that here, though the white cockatoos perch in their hundreds in the town, and create a lot of noise and mess. Beautiful images Mary. Have a wonderful week. hugs. x

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  15. nice to see your shots of the Sandhill crane. I have only seen three of them, barely, when I was in Japan! :)

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