Sunday, March 9, 2014

Pair for the course

We visited some friends today who are avid golfers and whose backyard faces the 18th hole of their golf course. The course is home to some rather gregarious sandhill cranes. I opted to bring the camera this time - on the last visit I left it at home, much to my chagrin.

Before long, a lone crane wandered onto the course from between a couple of houses. Grabbing my gear, I nonchalantly stalked him onto the course and got a few shots before I caught a shot (from a golfer) myself.

A little later we visited the ladies' tee-off area on the 12th hole where a female was guarding her nest that contained 2 eggs. As she kept a wary eye on me, I quickly fired off a few shots of her too - I wasn't about to find out how vigorously she would defend her nest. Perhaps in a few weeks I might be able to get some photos of the offspring.

[editor's note: our 2nd set of winter visitors is arriving in an hour; I may not be around much over the next 2-1/2 weeks but may sneak in a visit here or there. I'm told that spring is around the corner ...]

"no clubs required; I own the course ..."
"I zoomed in tight for this shot - no need to aggravate mama"

"Here she is guarding the nest"



31 comments:

Linda said...

Rick, these are just gorgeous! I have never seen a sandhill crane before except in photos, so thank you so much for sharing these!

Stephanie said...

Oh my she is a pretty crane, love the close up shot.

seijastiina said...

Excellent photos ♥

Kirsti said...

Upeat kuvat. Kaunis kurki :)

Rick Forrestal said...

Great shot, rare bird.
Thanks for sharing.

Buttons Thoughts said...

Oh Rick you won't see them around here:) Incredible shots. B

biebkriebels said...

Wat een mooi foto's Rick, heb nog nooit zo'n kraanvogel in het echt gezien, lijkt op een ooievaar.

Anonymous said...

prachtige vogel Rick!!! heb je mooi op de plaat weten te zetten.
grotjes, Hilde

ju-north said...

What a beautiful bird! spring is here today also!

Ruth Hiebert said...

Who needs golf clubs when this is what you see on the course? Beautiful images.

Pamela Gordon said...

I'm glad you took the risk of being attacked to get these photos, Rick. Beautiful photos. Enjoy your company. Spring? How about 25 - 30 cm. of snow coming on Wednesday/Thursday? :(

Amazing wonders in my life said...

Extremely amazing pics... So much in detail... Loved it

Manu World said...

Nice colors!!!
;-)

S. Etole said...

We have sandhill cranes here but I've never seen one up close. These are just super.

Lisa Gordon said...

What a gorgeous creature, Rick!!
Enjoy every moment with your visitors.

Joke (Joke's Camera) said...

O, wow, Rick, this is stunning. I can only dream of this pictures. I hope you will see the offspring. Wat een vreemde plek om te broeden. Lijkt me niet echt rustig. Ik ben benieuwd naar het vervolg op deze serie. groetjes, Joke

Amelia said...

Hi Rick, how you doing? I'm back... lay off blogwalking for more than a month. :))

First of all, love your header picture, very impressive. I wish I can stand on the bridge to admire the surrounding. Very beautiful scenery.

Very well taken pictures. You're really good. 2 thumbs up for you.

Have a great week ahead,regards.

Helma said...

Ohhhhh....... wat geweldig is dit Rick. En dan oo nog vrij rond lopend. Hier kan ik alleen maar van dromen om zo'n prachtige kraanvogel te zien. Echt geweldig. Ik hoop dat je ook de kleintjes kan fotograferen als de jongen uit het ei zijn gekomen :_)
Hartelijke groeten,
Helma

mariiana capela fotografia said...

really nice pictures Rick! love the second one :)

Teté M. Jorge said...

Loved!!!! Thank you for sharing!

Hugs, flowers, sweet beijos and friendship.

Scott Law said...

Love these beautiful and colorful birds. Great shots as always.

Elizabeth Grimes said...

Ha! Neat. :) I love your cover photo too. Breathtaking!

Goku shrestha said...

The photos are beautiful! :)

Fernando Santos (Chana) said...

Excelentes fotografias....
Cumprimentos

What Karen Sees said...

Great shots, love his color!

cath said...

J'adore tes photos, tes posts sont très intéressant !
Très bonne journée à toi !- Cath

Elizabeth Grimes said...

Nice! I hope we get to see the hatchlings soon.

fus said...

Maravillosas fotos. Rnhorabuena


un abrazo

fus

Noushka said...

WOW!
I'd sit there for ages admiring her!
"Isn't she lovely?"!!!
Enjoy your weekend!

Joke van de Klift said...

Wat heb je deze kraanvogel mooi op de kiek gezet, in één woord schitterend. Ik ben ook reuze benieuwd naar de jonkies. Jij bent een bevoorrecht mens met zoveel moois zo dicht in de buurt, leuk hoor.

Lieve groetjes, Joke

© Piedade Araújo Sol (Pity) said...

beautiful and colorful pictures.

kiss

:)