It's Cranemania around here!

[Wild Skies]

Originally Posted by Stan Hoover

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.

[Wild Skies]

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...

[Richard Flanders]

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.

[Wild Skies]

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.

[charlie cleveland]

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

[Wild Skies]

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.

[Keith Sirmans]

Thank you for this!

[Wild Skies]

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

[Wild Skies]

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.

[Gary Laudermilch]

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.