Althouse: Sandhill cranes at sunrise.

April 19, 2022

Sandhill cranes at sunrise.

This morning, by Lake Mendota:

24 comments:

gilbar said...: mmmm!! steaks on the hoof (well, talons); 4/19/22, 10:44 AM
Nancy said...: And then do you continue your own walk stepping so elegantly?; 4/19/22, 10:49 AM
Narr said...: Sublime.; 4/19/22, 10:51 AM
Narayanan said...: has this been fact-checked for time-date-stamp?
deja vu !; 4/19/22, 10:57 AM
wildswan said...: I've always wanted to see sandhill cranes since I came to Wisconsin. Interesting how they slow down as they approach the lake.; 4/19/22, 10:58 AM
Original Mike said...: Not much of a drumstick on those things. The "backward" knee has always fascinated me.

We participated in the Crane Foundation's Crane Count weekend before last, as we have for many years. The counts have been low lately, apparently the cranes were going elsewhere than the Mud Lake Marsh by Rio, but this year we had a healthy count.; 4/19/22, 11:06 AM
WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...: Wonderful!; 4/19/22, 11:13 AM
Ann Althouse said...: It's fascinating how delicate they lift their back leg as they enter each new step.; 4/19/22, 12:07 PM
gilbar said...: Original Mike said...
Not much of a drumstick on those things.

It's the Breasts that you want to roast; 4/19/22, 12:19 PM
Lem the artificially intelligent said...: Farmer keeps his crops pest free without pesticides.

👉🏽 https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/u79xsc/the_farmer_who_found_a_way_to_get_rid_of/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf; 4/19/22, 12:29 PM
Lem the artificially intelligent said...: This is how Disney produces the sound effects you can hear in this video.

👉🏽 https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/u75ee1/old_disney_sound_effect_cartoons/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf; 4/19/22, 12:42 PM
Lem the artificially intelligent said...: I could swear I watched this video last year or maybe two years ago or maybe three.; 4/19/22, 12:44 PM
iowan2 said...: Very nice. almost nothing is as interesting as being close to wildlife in their habitat.

Sunday before Easter we had to come to a complete stop as about 20 wild turkeys strolled across the road.Two Toms and the rest Jens. One took flight and about half the rest went with her. The Toms conserved their energy.

We never had wild Turkeys when I was growing up. Seeing hawk was enough to stop a tractor and watch one soar until out of sight. But now with the intensive agriculture, we have all sorts of wild life we never had. Rachel Carlson would be very confused.; 4/19/22, 1:31 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "I could swear I watched this video last year or maybe two years ago or maybe three."

The birds need to learn some new dance steps.; 4/19/22, 2:33 PM
Ann Althouse said...: Did you notice the third one in the back? I had to walk past him later. I have separate video of that. It was a little scary!; 4/19/22, 2:35 PM
rcocean said...: They always seem to be tiptoeing.; 4/19/22, 2:36 PM
Original Mike said...: "We never had wild Turkeys when I was growing up."

When I was 10ish or so my father would take me to the central Wisconsin wildlife refuges to camp and generally explore. Once we came across a flock of turkeys roosting in the trees. He told me at the time that turkeys had just been introduced by the DNR (or their ilk) into central Wisconsin. Now they are everywhere (including my backyard).; 4/19/22, 2:48 PM
H. Gillham said...: I love this. Here in Georgia we never see them on the ground, but we always hear them as they pass through. Their honking is heavenly. :-); 4/19/22, 2:54 PM
Birdwatcher said...: Thanks for this wonderful video! I feel as though I were there. This elegant pair of cranes -- perhaps they will breed there. And so many familiar songbirds in the background. Thank you.; 4/19/22, 5:51 PM
Rusty said...: Ann Althouse said...
"I could swear I watched this video last year or maybe two years ago or maybe three."

"The birds need to learn some new dance steps."
Get close to their nest and you'll learn some new dance steps.; 4/19/22, 6:07 PM
gpm said...: Much nicer than the aggressive turkeys that are taking over Brookline and the fifty geese everywhere infesting Boston et ses environs.

The bunnies taking over the Fenway are cute but perhaps not long for this world. The coyotes and various hawks are sure to follow. The hawks are already here to some extent. The coyotes still for the most part on the southern fringes of Boston.

--gpm; 4/19/22, 7:49 PM
Lurker21 said...: “The sandhill crane is the epitome of wilderness. The presence of one in a region, like the presence of the grizzly bear, flavors the whole countryside. To hear the bugling of a sky‑bound flock is an outstanding experience.” – Aldo Leopold

I guess he was your Thoreau or something.

Whatever.; 4/19/22, 8:39 PM
glam1931 said...: Down here in Florida they are amazingly tame, almost domestic. They tend to frequent suburban neighborhoods, wandering from yard to yard. I was visiting a neighbor recently, sitting on a swing in her yard, and a pair walked right up to me staring me right in the face from 2 feet away, right at eye level. I've been told that birds are frightened if you make eye contact with them, but not this pair.
I hope at some point you have had the opportunity to see their mating dance rituals; they really put on quite a show, with the male hopping, twirling, throwing sticks and moss up into the air. When he finishes, the female demonstrates her approval by one dainty hop into the air. It's priceless.; 4/19/22, 9:32 PM
Mazo Jeff said...: Living on the Wisconsin River, they put on quite a symphony of honking in the fall preparing for the trip south.; 4/20/22, 6:45 AM