The Birth

[Marina Scarr]

Well, I can't say this is one of my better photographs, but it was surely a great experience to witness two Sandhill Crane chicks being born earlier this year. This was the first chick to hatch, and this was only moments after he popped out of his egg. As you can see, the other egg remains intact. This birth happened at about 4 pm and the next day at almost the exact same time, the second chick hatched. Within 20 mins or so of each hatching, they looked like (dry) puffballs.

I must not have been thinking straight upon witnessing this little miracle of nature b/c my pictures were all over the place in terms of composition. I wish I hadn't cut the legs where I did, but I remember being so concentrated on watching this little guy come to life, that I forgot to compose properly. One thing I found interesting is that the adult ate the "afterbirth" from the egg after each birth.

Canon 1D3, Canon 400DO F4 IS & 1.4
F11, 1/640sec, ISO 400, manual mode
Feisol Tripod, Mongoose head
Waders on kneeling in water

Hope this photo brings a smile to everybody's face.

Marina Scarr
www.marinascarrphotography.com (http://www.marinascarrphotography.com)

[Chad Caswell]

:S3: There's my smile.. Right place at the right time... This must of been amazing to see. I witnessed killdeer babies right after they hatched, WOW they wabbled all over the place. Did these? Look at the babies eye still glazed over. Precious moment captured indeed. I like the comp, it includes so many key elements to the story you are telling with the photo. Nice job Marina.

[Raul Padilla]

Marina, i think the beatifull of a photo is depend of many factors, you captured a very great moment in the life of the crane

[dankearl]

Beautiful and very sweet.
Thanks for posting it.

[Luis Villablanca]

That's indeed a special moment. I like the composition and inclusion of the environment in the background.
Thanks for sharing it.

[Ishmeet Sahni]

Mesmerizing!!! Can understand your emotions at the time..... the composition tells a very beautiful story.
The story of LIFE..... TFS

[june skywell]

The comp is perfect and the image tells all that needs to be told. Excellent work. :)

[arash_hazeghi]

very cute Marina!

[noelle zaleski]

Awwwww!! :S3::S3:

This is such a great moment captured Marina

[Mike Tracy]

Wonderful moment captured. Composition is fine with the placement being the emphasis on your 2 subjects as it should be.

Can stand a levels adjustment as posted.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Yes it does indeed bring a smile to my face! Wonderful moment captured. I love the fact the empty egg's opening is facing us, very cool. I wish the adult crane's ankles weren't cut - if you have it a bit more canvas above to clear those ankles would be great. I would also darken the chick's pupil. Very sweet, very memorable!!

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

Geez what a great moment to see and then capture as well. I agree with you on the crop as I wish to have had more of the adults body just to show that the legs weren't coming from no where but I'd take this image in a heartbeat. Nice work..