I think I’ve already mentioned that I love sandhill cranes. They are so powerful and graceful that they often seem to be dancers who can also sing and fly simultaneously.
When cranes decide to land, they begin to separate and lower their legs. Even though young cranes seem to land every bit as well as the older ones, I’ve noticed a bit of a pattern while sifting through my photos: they often drop their legs before the others. The photo below is an example.
Crane landings always seem perfectly controlled.
Below, almost exactly the same pre-landing position as above, seen from the side this time.
And a very dance-like landing, complete with a bit of a plié.
I’m not sure whether the crane below was pretending to be a mushroom or a flying saucer. Or maybe it’s simply hiding beneath its ballet tutu.
Last but not least, a one-minute video with lots of dangling crane legs and several landings. One of them — about 20 seconds in — is a very impressive four-hop landing.
Soul-feeding pics Lisa! I also love sandhill cranes. 2 visits to Bosque del Apache in 2 months and not so many there this year that I could see. Always worth the trip there - so much beauty. Beautiful birds, beautifully photographed! Bravo!
Wow! What wonderful photos! ❤️