I've been hoping you would be able to get the post in and you certainly did....glad to see it.
Really pretty image you posted. The wispy clouds in the BG add a nice touch and the birds are sharp and in a good spot in the frame. Small nit from me would be the wing overlap on the distant bird.
Lou,
The lighting, head angle, wing position, and sharpness is all very good. However, the wing of the juvenile covering the adult is very distracting to me. Unfortunately, that's not something you, as a photographer, can do anything about, instead it is something to strive for. Good effort and keep going at it. Eventually you'll get all of the positive elements you have here, plus separation between the birds, and you'll have a winner!
Excellent DOF in this Lou and nice synchronized wing positions. Welcome to BPN and don't worry Lou, I've been lifting weights with my fingers in anticipation of typing enormous amounts of text! :D
Reallly nice detail and color. Frankly, I don't find Sandhill Cranes to be that attractive and your's is one of the nicest captures I've seen. My only opportunities to date were in Indiana (Jasper Pulaski) and conditions were either very overcast or featureless, cloudless blue sky combined with a lack of sufficient glass - 300MM just didn't provide the reach needed. It was still fun.