[Wild Skies]

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.