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I didn't post this video in the Critiques category because I want to show the behavior of the cranes. This started out as a feel good video about the nesting cranes showing the eggs and the fuzzy babies. However it didn't end that way. I used the D300s and 200-400 vr and 1.4 and 1.7. The project took 31 days. Rod
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGwycZmx_o0
www.rjwileyphoto.com
Rod, So sad to watch. TFS.
Evolution has given birds like this the ability to replace eggs back in the nest but as this excellent video shows, the behaviour is not well refined. You can see there is no "concept" in the bird's head of moving the egg up to a point where it will not roll back out again. The rule of thumb behaviour as shown probably works in many situations, or it would not have evolved to begin with, but in special cases like this it is doomed to failure.
Not really sad Denise when you think about it. This is nature and nothing is sad in nature, it just IS. Cranes live a long time so losing one egg with not affect their lifetime reproductive success.
Need to keep in mind also that the egg had already pipped(hole in it) so once it went into the water it would have filled and the baby would have drowned is a short period of time.
Bill
She had been making this prancing motion with her feet after rolling the eggs. After the first chick was hatched she continued to make that motion and crushed the new born chick and than sat down on it to keep it and the remaining egg warm. However when she sat down one of her toes was over the chicks neck and that's what caused the death of here first chick. Dr Jackson at Gulf Coast University believes they are immature birds and this is there first time nesting. This video show this, it’s a little hard to watch so I didn't post in on YouTube. Rod
http://www.rjwiley.smugmug.com/A-day...708_amYEq-M-LB
Rod, That was beautifully done! I'm so glad I got to see this even if the ending wasn't what you (and I) hoped it would be. That wonderful, melancholy music added to what I also thought was a sad ending.
John, It is nice and somewhat comforting to think that the loss of the chick and egg will not affect their lifetime breeding success, but I did feel a sadness for the loss. Your comment that "nothing is sad in nature" is interesting to me. I guess I've never really thought that.
Patti
Rod, well done, and a sad one for sure! I met you over at corkscrew last year! Great to see some more of your work!
Cheers!
Don
