This morning Mama and Papa Crane are out with their babies showing them the ways of the world. Hunting for breakfast is on the menu at the moment and is just the beginning of a plethora of lessons to be learned.

A keen observer may notice something else in this pic of others that have left their sign.

Buck rub on the tree?

Congratulations Stan! That is the answer the judges have been looking for. For being the first respondent with the correct response you will be receiving our semi-prestigious "Attaboy Award". In addition, your name will be thrown in a drum and you are now automatically entered in our coveted "Grand Prize Drawing" to held at a later date.

The little colts are growing like weeds, their legs appear to have grown a couple of inches in just this past week.

In the 2nd pic below the little one in the back is showing the traits of the adult birds when displaying their mating dance -- spreading and flapping their wings while jump dancing.

They are so entertaining...

Very cool. Must be big fun to watch and feed them. Best I can do right now is watch a raven come in and pick up the daily red squirrel I put out for him.

At about six weeks of age the two young colts are doing fine. They are now mostly feathered out and have grown to near 3/4 of their adult size. It won't be long before they'll be taking flying lessons.

they sure have grown...I have really enjoyed this post...thanks charlie

The two young colts in the foreground are now about 7/8 adult size. Their legs are turning the black color of mature birds, but their beaks are yet to turn and the red feathers of their foreheads are yet to appear. They are just now learning take-off and landing procedures by scooting across the yard with wings flapping, gaining just a couple of feet of altitude before quickly settling down. It won't be long before they'll be taking short flights.

Thank you for this!

Our neighborhood Sandhill colts are now approximately 60+ days old and we've witnessed them taking short flights. We live at the south end of a cul-de-sac and these colts, being carefully watched by their parents, are now taking flight right from the end of the street in front of our house and flying about 1/2 way up the block to the north where a neighbor has a pair of metal Sandhill figurines in his front yard where they're landing. They then are taking off from there and flying back down the street to the end of the cul-de-sac. I would guess that within the next couple of days they'll be graduating to full flight training.

Here's a YOUTUBE video depicting what we've been witnessing the past couple of weeks around here. I of course, didn't do the video, but a lady named Nina Faust did a very nice job of chronicling young Sandhills learning to fly near Homer, Alaska in this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hf8Yzu17o8

Nature can be cruel -- we can't change that . . . it is what it is.

My wife and I witnessed nature's cruelty involving our neighborhood family of cranes tonight that was quite disturbing and emotional. In the pic below you are seeing what's left of a baby cottontail rabbit being shredded by one of the adult Sandhills. The baby rabbit was in our front yard minding its own business and trying to make itself invisible when the family of four cranes sauntered in, identified what was on the lawn and immediately zeroed in on the defenseless little rabbit. Both adults were on the baby rabbit like heat-seeking-missiles running after and chasing down the baby rabbit, stabbing it repeatedly with their stiletto-like beaks and tossing it in the air like pizza chefs until the baby rabbit took its last breath. They then shredded the rabbit into bite-sized pieces and fed their two young colts which are just off camera to the right.

Yes, nature can be cruel -- we can't change that . . . it is what it is.

It is a tough world out there, especially when you are at the bottom of the pecking order. That is why rabbits evolved into prolific breeders.

I think being a bait fish may be the worst job going. You are being chased by fish from below, and birds from above. Nowhere to hide

Finally, a little leisure time in the sun! After dodging the heavy weather of the past week the Sandhills appear to be relaxing -- at least for the moment, as there's nothing in the fridge.

WANTED FOR VANDALISM
 

WANTED FOR VANDALISM

Perpetrator has been caught in the act of pecking at our patio door screen leaving holes in the screen. This results in no other choice but having to replace the screen. :banghead:

Some kind of deterrant and reprimand is in order, but I'm not quite sure what that is. Yelling and shoo-ing the perpetrator away with a broom has not been effective.

Here's a pic of the extremely guilty looking vandal posing for his mug shot and the evidence of his destruction.

I think the suspect needs to be "grilled" about it, to see if he fesses up. 250 degrees for about 12 minutes, then 400 degrees for 6 more should do it.

Stan, Stan, Stan . . . your suggestion is not an option! If I were to do as you suggest I would not only be ostracized from the entire neighborhood, I, myself; would be "grilled" by these same neighbors!

You see, in our neighborhood, this Sandhill family and in particular the baby Sandhills are like children. Would you actually grill your own child? After eleven consecutive years of producing baby Sandhills, this has been the one and only instance of any meaningful, albeit minor, damage done to our property.

I have decided what I'm going to do with this wayward youngster . . . nothing, nada, not a thing! Many bird species are or about to start migrating South for the Winter. Our Sandhill family is no different and will likely be heading for Texas before long. From what I've learned, the entire family will stay together over the Winter and return to this very spot in our neighborhood in the Spring; at which point the adult pair will kick out last year's offspring and start a new family -- just as they've done for the entire time they've nested in our neighborhood and the species has done for eons of time. They say Sandhills pair for life and may migrate and produce young for 25 - 30 consecutive years.

Here's hoping for their safe and successful return in the Spring! :cheers:

It was said tongue in cheek, Greg. They're very interesting and I've enjoyed your pictures and narratives. But, seriously, I don't get so attached to wild animals or birds that I consider them children.

All the best to you.

I kind of thought your reply Stan might have been tongue-in-cheek and my reply to you Stan, was tongue-in-cheek as well. My "Sandhills are like children" comment was used metaphorically.

All good.

All good, Greg.

For the 12th consecutive year our neighborhood Sandhill Crane pair returned as predicted on March 15th. This year's nesting produced just one offspring. Their one baby, termed a colt, has now grown to about 7/8 adult size and is learning the ways of the world -- and that means survival. Survival has many meanings, hunting for food as well as avoiding all the sharks they are swimming with on a daily basis -- red fox, raccoons, electrical lines, kids with BB guns, hunters, etc. are just a few of these sharks.

Below are the adult birds showing their young colt a couple of ways of the world -- searching for food and keeping themselves tidy and clean. They are all-right by us for leaving their preened feathers in a pile for easy clean-up.

My sister in Michigan loves having 8-10 turkeys and maybe a few SH cranes hang out in her pasture all summer. They totally ignore her when she walks by them - they have figured out that she is not a threat. They light up her life every day they're there and I get daily reports.

Been waiting for this year's report. Thanks!

Sandhills are on my bucket list.

Greg, there are all kinds of luck. This is one of them.

Luck is schweet. It’s like we won the lotto. Next, we’re buying Maui. All of it.

I really like this report on the cranes....charlie

CODE RED!

The young Sandhill colt has somehow suffered a serious injury. I know it's hard to tell from the still pic below, but our darling little baby in the foreground is unable to put any weight on its right leg, forcing it to hop on its left leg to move. It appears to be a hip injury that must have happened today, because yesterday it was fine. The next few days are going to be an enormous challenge, hopefully the adult parent birds will ward off the predators.

I hope the young bird heals fast I sure hope the parents keep watch over it....charlie

What initially looked to me to be a hip injury now appears more likely to be the young colt's knee. The adult pair are just off camera hunting for food (mice, voles, grass snakes, grubs, etc.) while the colt watches on. Prior to sustaining the injury, the young bird would be learning the trade along side and with the adult birds. I haven't yet witnessed the adults bringing anything of sustenance to the young bird, I sure hope they do. If not, besides predators, starvation is a possibility.

Nature can be cruel.

CODE RED! UPDATE:

For those that have been following along I have some good news! . . . it appears the leg injury the young sandhill crane sustained three weeks ago has mostly healed and is now likely to make it. After a week or so of having to hop on one leg in order to move, fear for its survival -- predators and starvation were real possibilities. But, its parents, the adult birds, saw to it that their little one would survive. Several times we witnessed the adult birds bringing food to their baby -- grubs, nightcrawlers, mice, etc. After that first week of hopping on one leg the juvenile crane was able to put a little weight on the leg and limp along. It has been getting incrementally better each day with the limp almost undetectable today. In the photo below one of the adults caught and killed a field mouse under the fence and has brought it over for its young to feast on.

In this upside-down world good news is indeed welcome. Looks like he will be strong enough to make the fall flight.

good for the young bird and his faithful parents....charlie

THE CRANES ARE BACK!

THE CRANES ARE BACK!

Our neighborhood nesting pair of Sandhill Cranes arrived today for the 13th consecutive year of bringing their brand of excitement to the neighborhood. This pair of said-to-mate-for-life Sandhill Cranes were exactly two weeks late in arriving this year, but we can't blame them, our backyard and their cattail marsh nesting grounds are still frozen up solid . . . but it shouldn't be long. If their history holds true, we'll see the usual one or two babies sometime around mid-May.

Here are three pics from today, just after their return and our getting reacquainted rendezvous:

Wow, that’s great! And deer on the other side of the fence.





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When you feed them by hand are they gentle with those long beaks. Thomas

Yes, the adults are gentle and quite careful. They zero in on each kernel of corn with precision, the young colts aren't quite as accurate, however; they are gentle as well.

If we have friends over when the cranes saunter in looking for a snack and they would like to see them being fed, I will usually feed them by hand myself. If the friends are first timers at hand feeding and would like to give it a try, they will usually do so with some apprehension, but that apprehension goes away after the first couple of kernels are snatched up by the cranes.

just wow.....charlie

You've heard the phrase .... "What a difference a day makes!" …. Well, our feathered friends must be singing the same tune today. Yesterday the mallards were doing what they do in the rain and newly found melted ice. Then, today the Sandhills are sloshing through the slush after the rain changed over to a few inches of heavy wet snow overnite. (You can actually see their tracks left in the slush.)

It must be April!