Baby Sandhill Crane

The last few weeks have been rainy, so I haven't been out to take photos very often. Last week I took a grand total of two shots when I went for a walk at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary. That all changed today, which has been warm sunny. With that shift in weather, I was out doors as soon as possible! I was excited beacuse reports came out that the pair of Sandhill Cranes that have resided at the sanctuary for the last few years have had a pair of babies. Upon arrival I discovered that one had already died, cause unknown, but that the other was alive and well. In fact the living baby crane is only three days old (Born June 2).

The area where the female Sandhill Crane had nested has been partly closed to the public, so there is only a small area where you can see them with their baby. Thankfully the Cranes were feeding in the warm afternoon sun when I arrived to start shooting. A sanctuary staff member was present at all times to ensure that people did not get to close to the cranes. Firstly for the protection of the baby crane, and secondly for the safety of visitors, as the male Sandhill Crane will aggressively protects it's young. The female crane was always close by to the baby, and allowed me to capture some heart warming shots of them together. The lighting conditions were not ideal, but overall I am pleased with the results. Here are a few more images of the cranes.