Sandhill Cranes

Spring Break for Cranes. Each March the majority of America's Sand Hill Cranes converge on the Platte River to eat, drink, rest, find partners, dance and renew old friendships. They are hunted in many states and are so difficult to approach that most photographs show them in distant flocks or captive enviornments. I use an extremely powerful lens in order to focus on individuals rather than the flock. These are wild cranes enjoying a break before dispersing into the artic where they split up into solitary pairs to produce the young that will participate in this spectacle next year.

Cranes are known for dancing. They have taught man to dance - native tribes throughout the world have dances that mimic the cranes. The dances include bows, leaps, wing displays and sometimes include tossing an object into the air.

Flocks of cranes fly together. They don't usually make the "V" shape that geese are known for. Instead, they fly in undulating lines that thread across the sky.
Sunrise sandhill crane
The rising sun illuminates the underside of this flock of cranes.
Sandhill crane flock
Every dance is different. This crane holds on to the cornstalk instead of tossing it.
This crane is keeping watch as his companions search the prarie for the first juicy bugs of the new year.
Flocks of cranes begin flying long before sunrise. The camera shutter remained open longer than normal to capture enough light to make this photograph. This caused the cranes in the sky to become blurry streaks. The photograph gives you some idea of the numbers of cranes -but cannot convey the sound of thousands of cranes calling to each other.
This crane is calling to other cranes flying overhead.
This is a portion of a dance - not a fight.
Cranes spread their wings to catch the thermal drafts. This will decrease the energy needed for their thousands of migration miles.
Some dances are solitary. In this case there is interaction between the two dancers.
This dance includes a graceful bow.

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