On the nest!!
This post will take you through one glorious morning at the Sandhill Crane nest in Ashfield! Our schedule limited me to only one morning during the current nesting season… and what a morning it was! Last Friday I set the alarm for 4:20 in order to get to Ashfield to be in position before sunrise. Conditions were forecasted to be perfect and they were - 26 degrees, zero wind and no bugs! As I walked through the woods to get to my position I felt the cold air emanating from the ground and all around me was absolute silence. I heard no one but knew I was certainly in the company of all kind of animals and birds… it was truly a beautiful walk out through the woods with a nice bright 97% full moon - so no need for a headlamp. As I was making my way through the woods my first glimpse of the swamp showed the early morning mist rising beautifully all around the cattails. I could also see a touch of beautiful frost on all of the plants and tree branches.
I arrived at the tree on the edge of the swamp where I always set up. I surveyed the general nesting area from years past and I did not see a crane anywhere! I kept looking and looking and then moved about 4 feet to my right in order to look to my left to see if I could catch any sighting of a resting crane hunkered down on a nest somewhere… and then I struck gold! I struggled to find a position that would allow a small window into the nesting area. Finally I found that if I crouched down low in an awkward and uncomfortable position, not quite low enough to kneel and definitely not upright, I found that I had the perfect line of vision into the world of the nest! The best line of vision I have ever had…
Here she is sitting on the nest with her beautiful head and neck tucked into her back feathers… one of my absolutely favorite positions to see them in as they rest and try to stay warm… Her feathers were lightly dusted with frost…to observe that total commitment to this annual cycle of life is truly moving… I am assuming that this is the female as more times than not the female sits on the nest overnight and then they rotate nest duty during the daylight hours…
Just as the very first rays of the rising sun were coming up over mountain she lifted her head as he was flying in overhead.
I know I have said it many times… but the way the early morning light hits this swamp is truly stunning. This particular morning brought some of the most stunning lighting I have ever seen there. I honestly could not believe the luck I was having for my one morning there…Here he is after landing…
It is truly amazing to know that the routine after landing is for the incoming crane to survey the area for geese, beavers, or anyone else anywhere near the nest. They always walk over towards the nest, but not right next to it, while remaining on high alert before going to the nest to take their turn on duty..
Frost crystals on his back as well….
Right after these shots I looked back towards the nest to see these truly breathtaking moments… Part of their ritual is for the crane on the nest to rotate the eggs by using their feet to roll the eggs and then their beaks to pull them slightly forward.
And then he started to make his way over for the changing of the guard. Sometimes when they do this process they will both make loud calls and then switch who is on the nest. Other times, like this particular morning, it is a silent, beautifully choreographed ritual at the nest.
Now she is leaving the nest as his shift begins…
The incoming crane always rotates and re-positions the eggs again…
Her turn to get her feathers in order and to stretch her legs…
As always, she flies out in the exact direction where he had flown in from earlier…
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature - - the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.”
Silent Spring
by Rachel Carson