"It's a most distressing affliction to have a sentimental heart and a skeptical mind."
― Naguib Mahfouz
"You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm."
― Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette
By now I would have thought there would be more S. arborea at Pheasant Branch Prairie, but I only heard a single individual briefly vocalize. It might have been a flyover bird. Well, there were a few J. h. hyemalis, but even their numbers seemed seasonly low. Perhaps once it snows they'll congregate to this rich source of sustenance. Avian-wise, the prairie was unusually quiet, barely any passerines. Having said that there were impressive numbers of A. canadensis at the north end of the parcel, perhaps as many as 200 birds. They were busy foraging, flying to and from the marsh, bugling, dancing, and otherwise simply stoically standing around and eyeballing things.
Alas, the ground was rather warm given the sun and temperatures, so there was substantial mirage to contend with. Given the long focal length of my digiscoping rig, I had to be fairly far away to frame the cranes, and that meant more distortion from the turbulent air.
Quite entertaining to watch and photograph!
They wouldn't (because they can't) care if I referred to them as birds, cranes, Sandhill Cranes, Antigone canadensis, or Cecaahkwa ― and perhaps that's one of the best things about being out in Nature ... the lack of judgement beyond things being potentially red in tooth and claw is utterly absent. Here you're assessed for threat, annoyance, and not much else. To have one of these large aves just chill out before you is a remarkable gift. Cranes have been on this planet relatively unchanged for millions of years, unlike that pesky naked and invasive primate that's constantly making value judgements about trivial things. On the one hand, perhaps more people will give two-shits about the environment. But on the other hand, lose those who scorn identity politics and performative activism.
All images © 2023 Mike McDowell