Sandhill Crane nesting season is over. The little guys have learned to fly, and the birds are gathering in large groups in fields, eating and fattening up for their upcoming southern flight! These birds are the coolest. They are huge. Sometimes when I drive by a field and glance over, I think there are deer in the field. Then I realize those deer only have two legs, and realize they are cranes.
Here are a few pics I snapped earlier today.
They are naturally gray in color. But they have a tendency to turn a rust color because for some reason they like to spread mud all over themselves, and that mud has iron in it. So eventually they take on a reddish color. That is, of course, until they molt and get lovely new gray feathers.
2 comments:
The first time I saw cranes I was in Utah. It was dusk and they were flying into a field. I screamed out "Stop the Car!" Scared the boyfriend have to death. They are cool and I love that they are huge.
The Sandhills are one of my favorites. I wonder if the mud helps with keeping parasites in check...?
Nice photos!
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