Bird Watching: Sandhill Crane colt, 2 by trackinsand

trackinsand wrote:
i have learned so much about these cranes this year. they started putting their nest together around the first of april and started sitting april 15 or 16th. the two babies were born 30 days later and for the first two weeks, they stayed very close to the nest site. then they began venturing out on to our property a little farther each day. now they leave early in the morning and are basically gone all day although i can scout the surrounding fields and usually catch site of them. they stay within about a mile radius but are off of our property and crossing roads. it has caused me no end of stress but i realize that this is what they do and there is nothing i can do about it other than to wipe my brow every night and say, "whew", when they come back to the nest at night.

the biggest baby or colt is very independent and is often seen many, many yards away from the parents but i know they are keeping an eye on him.

i still have not been able to take any close up shots. the parents are quite tame but the babies run at the slightest idea that i may be comings towards them and so i stay back and let them do their thing.