Sandhill by TwoPynts
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Description
"This is my living faith, an active faith, a faith of verbs: to question, explore, experiment, experience, walk, run, dance, play, eat, love, learn, dare, taste, touch, smell, listen, argue, speak, write, read, draw, provoke, emote, scream, sin, repent, cry, kneel, pray, bow, rise, stand, look, laugh, cajole, create, confront, confound, walk back, walk forward, circle, hide, and seek. To seek: to embrace the questions, be wary of answers." ~ Terry Tempest Williams
An unconventional portrait of a Sandhill Crane, foraging for a snack. The composition spoke to me and I hope you enjoy it as well. Happy Tuesday! Sandhill Crane (Greater) Grus canadensis The different subspecies of Sandhill Crane vary greatly in size and weight. Lesser Sandhills, who breed at more northern latitudes such as the arctic, are the smallest, weighing on average about 6-7 pounds and standing 3-3.5 feet tall. At the other end of the extreme, temperate-nesting Greater Sandhills are the largest subspecies and average 4.5-5 feet tall and 10-14 pounds. Body plumage is characterized by varying shades of gray. In many areas, wild Sandhills preen iron-rich mud into their feathers creating a deep rusty brown hue which lasts during spring and summer. As fall advances, these rusty feathers molt and the birds return to their grayish appearance. In some regions, however, iron-rich mud is absent and the birds appear gray all year. The forehead and crown are covered with reddish skin. Face, chin, upper throat, and nape are white to pale gray. Adults have a white cheek patch. Legs and toes are black. In general, males and females are virtually indistinguishable but within a breeding pair, males tend to be larger than females. Juvenile plumage changes from cinnamon brown to gray as the bird matures during the first year. Sandhill Cranes are the most abundant of the world's cranes and can be found throughout North America, extending into Cuba and far northeastern Siberia. All cranes are omnivorous. Sandhill Cranes are generalists and feed on a wide variety of plant tubers, grains, small vertebrates (mice and snakes), and invertebrates such as insects or worms. They are primarily birds of open fresh water wetlands, but the different subspecies utilize habitats that range from bogs, sedge meadows, and fens to open grasslands, pine savannas, and cultivated lands. Loss and degradation of riverine and wetland ecosystems are the most important threats to Sandhill Crane populations. For the migratory populations, this is of greatest concern in staging and wintering areas. Spring staging areas along the Platte River in Nebraska are of special concern because of their importance to the migratory subspecies and the development pressures facing this region. Approximately 80% of all Sandhill Cranes utilize a 75-mile stretch of the Platte River in spring migration. Elsewhere, small breeding populations can face disproportionate mortality on fall staging areas due to over-hunting. Residential and commercial development pressures facing lands occupied by birds belonging to non-migratory subspecies in Mississippi, Florida, and Cuba also pose significant threats. -----
Thanks for your lofty comments on my last upload,
Structure
I am not counting the photos I put into the snapshot gallery
but thank you for your comments there as well!
-----
Panasonic DMC-FZ50 & PhotoshopCS. (828)
Lake Placid, FL, USA 2007
Sponsored by: Kramer Kreations
Comments (42)
XoxoTree
Stunning capture. :)
devineydesignsllc
most beautiful crop! creative in every way,you're good!
kjpweb
Bravo Kort! Great POV! Superb capture and crop! Wowser!
Gor111
A marvellous portrait of this wonderful looking bird! What I love here as well is the fabulous selected POV! Excellent really!!!
Hendesse
Fantastic shot with outstanding details. Fascinating POV too. A gorgeous image!
jif3d
Those layered feathers sure look sandy and kinda freaky, BTW I was wondering, if on Valentine's Day...will the coat open magically and Uncle Ernie's toys (Keith Moon in Tommy) be exposed ? kool close up Kort ~Cheers~
awjay
nice one.........j
vlaaitje
what an unusual pov...but it looks superB....well done
nathalie06
A very original point of view on this so colorful guy. It seems waves of softness on him. Superb done Kort !
Chaos911
what a F A N T A S T I C work!!!! super cooooool!!! :)
_Guffi_
Excellent shot, perfect angle!
Luka_30
Very effective crop, and POV.
MrsLubner
Beautiful! Great detail and I like the pov and compo.
Burpee
Brilliant!
darktower
Unusual but terrific shot, excellent presentation! Thanks for the info!
Littlejock
Wonderful colour and The POV.. OMG.. Great artistic pic
Sherena
Original and great colors!!!
RIGAU
FANTTICO *****
sharky_
What you looking at Willis? lol Excellent capture. Aloha
2Loose2Trek
Fantastic photo ... excellent!
squirrel2005
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW! This was something! LORD how awesome it is!!! Look at those textures.. fantastic!
odie
What a neat perspective. The red part almost resembles a heart. :0)
joannabowyer
OH WOW!!!! this is a fabulous shot of this crane. i love the crop and comp... and great detail...
P.Winberg
perfect crop...the eyes almost seem to speak to you...thanks also for the information...beautiful.
GiMi53
SoulSearcherr
awesome job
gradient
POV really works well for this! perfect crop as well.
mark.spooner
Excellent work, love the texture of the feathers!
Ionel
I agree with Gimi!
Debwhosmiles
Love the texture in this! From the soft feathers to the beady-looking head and the shiny slick eyes. Great detail and POV~ =)