It's official, no not the superbowl today, it's official that the sandhill crane parents have finally run off their last remaining child, (actually called a colt.) Their son left over a week ago, but I think the remaining young crane was female, she was my favorite. Timid, she held behind the others, she would wait as her brother and Mom got a head start and then she would finally feel safe enough to chow down. The last time I saw her, yesterday, and even the days before that, you could see the parents wanted her out. They would peck at her and chase her away, and poor thing did not want to go. The picture of the rumpled, bent over crane is the daughter they have been harassing to leave, the last pic I have of her. In the picture with the three of them taken yesterday, you can see her standing far away from the parents as they kept going after her.
Now the parents this morning arrived looking quite like the honeymooners without any colts to look after. (above pic) They ate and happily walked away together. They ran off these colts a couple months earlier than last year, maybe because of the heat down here. They usually don't run them off till March and breed in May or June, the babies come a month after being layed. Will have to see if we have 'colts' earlier this year. Even the heron babies came earlier this year, the warm weather is tricking nature. The bullfrogs who remain silent till almost spring, can be heard loud and clear around 5pm, two months ahead of schedule.
Oh well, nothing can be done to change it so I am happy to document and enjoy it all, that's the glad part of Sunday. I'll let you know if the daughter shows up...
