More Pond Critters

The Sanhill Crane wasn't cooperating very well today. Darn hard to track them!

 These folks must have just dropped in. I did not see them yesterday

 I got too close and they started to talk in unison. Very, very noisy! Worse than a bunch of crows.

 Brooklyn may as well be a pond critter because it is her favourite place!

 Give her a pond and a stick and she becomes a retriever.

Another Pond Trip

I went back to the pond today and found the Sand Hill Cranes were still hanging about I caught them as they were just coming in from the fields.

I have included some facts from Google, shamefully lifted from Wikipedia 

 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandhill_crane)

Adults are gray overall; during breeding, their plumage is usually much worn and stained, particular in the migratory populations, and looks nearlyochre. The average weight of the larger males is 4.57 kg (10.1 lb), while the average weight of females is 4.02 kg (8.9 lb), with a range of 2.7 to 6.7 kg (6.0 to 14.8 lb) across the subspecies.^[2][3] Sandhill cranes have red foreheads, white cheeks and long dark pointed bills. In flight, their long dark legs trail behind, and their long necks keep straight. Immature birds have reddish brown upperparts and gray underparts.^[4][5] The sexes look alike. Sizes vary among the different subspecies; the average height of these birds is around 80 to 122 cm (2 ft 7 in to 4 ft 0 in).^[6][7] Their wing chords are typically 41.8–60 cm (16.5–23.6 in), tails are 10–26.4 cm (3.9–10.4 in), the exposed culmens are 6.9–16 cm (2.7–6.3 in) long and the tarsimeasure 15.5–26.6 cm (6.1–10.5 in).^[8]

These cranes frequently give a loud trumpeting call that suggests a French-style "r" rolled in the throat, and they can be heard from a long distance. Mated pairs of cranes engage in "unison calling." The cranes stand close together, calling in a synchronized and complex duet. The female makes two calls for every one from the male.

Sandhill cranes' large wingspans, typically 1.65 to 2.29 m (5 ft 5 in to 7 ft 6 in), make them very skilled soaring birds, similar in style to hawks andeagles.^[7] Utilizing thermals to obtain lift, they can stay aloft for many hours, requiring only occasional flapping of their wings and consequently expending little energy. Migratory flocks contain hundreds of birds, and can create clear outlines of the normally invisible rising columns of air (thermals) they ride.

Sandhill cranes fly south for the winter. In their wintering areas, they form flocks of over 10,000. One place this happens is at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, 100 mi (160 km) south of Albuquerque, New Mexico. There is an annual Sandhill Crane Festival in November.

The wingspan is enormous compared to other birds around here.

I've Waited Many Years to Get This Close

We often see Sand Hill Cranes in the spring or fall during their migration, generally at several thousand feet up. 

 Imagine my surprise to see this family on the pond about 3 blocks from home!

 They are an elegant bird and very graceful.

 The whole family decided to pose on the shore.

 This is a reason to never be without a camera, even in your own back yard!