It's Cranemania around here!

[Wild Skies]

Originally Posted by Garry L Gordon

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.

[Richard Flanders]

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.

[Gary Laudermilch]

Been waiting for this year's report. Thanks!

[Mike of the Mountain]

Sandhills are on my bucket list.

[charlie cleveland]

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

[Wild Skies]

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.

[charlie cleveland]

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

[Wild Skies]

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.

[Gary Laudermilch]

Nature can be cruel.

[Wild Skies]

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.