OT: Absolutely Beautiful Still

musicvid10 wrote on 3/31/2011, 9:47 AM

Showed up on our local CBS website. A really evocative moment for me because I grew up near the Platte Valley Flyway, and was awakened many mornings in the winter to the the call of Sandhill Cranes overhead. Once nearly extinct, there are around 500,000 now, but a far cry from the millions that turned the sky black at midday in the 1920's, according to now-departed family members.

Comments

JackW wrote on 3/31/2011, 11:31 AM

It is a lovely sight. I often see and hear the birds when I'm fishing in Eastern Washington around Moses Lake as they catch the thermals on their way East in the spring. In the fall they can be seen on the flats along the Gibbon River in Yellowstone.

I never tire of watching these lovely birds.

Thanks for the picture. It's grand.

Jack

reberclark wrote on 3/31/2011, 11:54 AM

They fly over here (suburban Chicago) at very high altitude in the spring and fall. I always hear their voices before I go outside to see them. A great thing at the change of seasons!

apit34356 wrote on 3/31/2011, 4:18 PM

great pic!

TomG wrote on 4/1/2011, 5:16 AM

What a wonderful picture. We have a family every spring walking around our backyard here in Southwest Florida. I believe the chicklings (right word?) come back to this place year-after-year.

TomG

farss wrote on 4/1/2011, 6:04 AM

Thanks for sharing that photo. It reminded me once again of the wonderful fauna to be found in the USA.
Indeed it is a pity that so much has been lost but at least in the USA there's enough people who take up the cause to have an impact. My only regret this is one aspect of the USA that the rest of the world rarely sees amidst the images of cruise missiles and mangled bodies.

Bob.

musicvid10 wrote on 4/1/2011, 8:15 AM

The Sandhill Cranes' cousins, the whooping crane, are very near extinction. I have seen them only once, when I was a child.

apit34356 wrote on 4/2/2011, 1:24 AM

"USA that the rest of the world rarely sees amidst the images of cruise missiles and mangled bodies." oook, are we talking about Detroit, L.A. or New York streets.......

amendegw wrote on 4/2/2011, 2:29 AM

My Gosh, I can see a thread about a beautiful still degenerating into a political discussion. Why don't we stop the political dialog with this post?

...Jerry

farss wrote on 4/2/2011, 3:46 AM

I was talking about the way the USA is portrayed by media around the world. We do not get to see enough of the actual country which is a great pity. If I can find the means I certainly intend to be back there for an extended trip to see more of what the country has to offer and yes, I'll try to take in Detroit, L.A. and New York although I have to say big cities don't interest me that much.
It's the small cities and towns where I've found you get the real essence of a country. One thing I sure want to try and see more of is the wildlife and the photo Musicvid posted reminded me I've still got a lot to see in the USA. The one thing I really need to do is master riding a horse :(

Bob.

arenel wrote on 4/2/2011, 9:15 AM

@Farss
The Brolgas that you have in Oz are pretty cool too. I was fortunate to shoot a crocodile show in Arnhemland back in the mid seventies. The savanna areas seemed to have lots of them. If you want to see the world's cranes in a captive but naturalistic setting, i recommend the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, Wisconsin.
Ralph

amendegw wrote on 4/2/2011, 9:37 AM

"Baraboo, Wisconsin"Ahhh, I have fond memories of visits to Devil's Lake as a child. Also, Wisconsin Dells, but that's another story.

...Jerry

farss wrote on 4/2/2011, 3:50 PM

Thanks for the tip and glad you got to see our crocs, not the most tourist friendly creatures around. They have snacked on a few. One of my clients was shooting models in a runabout in the Kimberly and one had a pretty good go at getting into the boat.

I've got an open invite to spend some time in the back blocks of Medford WI staying in a log cabin looking for bears and doing some bow hunting. Not that keen on the hunting part, rather shoot with a camera. I'm keen but the better half has some reservations about going that wild.

Bob.

musicvid10 wrote on 4/2/2011, 7:45 PM

Bob, be light of heart, if you're going bow hunting, you won't hit a thing; it's all an excuse to track wildlife and appear "manly" at the same time. Bow hunters are a bunch of pussycats, and I say that in the kindest way. After all, the billions of North American Bison in the 1800's weren't decimated by bow and arrow . . .