Sandhill Mama on a Windy Morning

Description

May 2024 One of the pairs of Sandhill Cranes at the Marsh has been nesting on a low grassy island for the past 3 springs. Each May they have hatched 2 colts and led them within a day or two off the exposed island into more concealing cover which serves as a nursery for the colt’s first weeks. The process from hatching to moving the colts off the island seems to take less than 48 hours for this pair. It’s an event that’s easy to miss. I made my first crack at photographing the island pair at the beginning of May this year. It was lucky timing. At first I saw the female on the nest and thought she was still sitting on eggs. I took my time and slowly inched the blind closer using natural cover to conceal my movements. As I settled into a good position I noticed one of the colt’s heads popping up through the grasses. I eventually realized that there were two colts. In this photo they are under their mama as she shields them from a gusty wind. I like this image for the movement in her feathers. Given the low angle of the blind, the colts aren’t visible through the grasses in this photo. Unfortunately no good images of the colts were possible on this particular morning. Still, it was nice to know they were there behind all that grass and mama Sandhill. After a couple of hours some kayakers moved into the area and disturbed the family’s calm rhythms. I backed away from their island. A day later when my friend Deb attempted to photograph them they had already left for their nursery spot.

Taken By

Doug Gordon

Taken On

September 7, 2024

Tagged

sandhill crane wetland spring huron county ontario wildlife birds waders nesting animal bird crane_bird waterfowl grass plant beak outdoors reed feather