Decided to get up yesterday and shot the Sand Hill Cranes at Jasper Pulaski in North West Indiana, about a 2 hour drive. The last count was just over 7,500 birds present. Usually peaks at about 11,000 in mid November. I was fortunate to have a pair do one of their dances in front of me. NR on background, removed a couple of other cranes in the background.
Thanks for looking and appreciate all the comments and help.
Must have been fun observing these birds and witnessing their "dance". Good comp, and good job on the exposure considering what looks like strong light. In a perfect world the wing to our right would have been open as much as the other, and I think some of the darker spots in the BG could be tamed a bit (in front of bill, and above wing bend). I do find the texture in the grass odd though...wonder what happened there?
Love the behavior you captured here. Would rather have seen both wings extended. Crane gave you a great head angle. Your Crane's head looks a tad soft to me which I find a tad more distracting than the darker blotches in the BG. Glad you had the experience of watching these creatures dance.
Gary, good underwing detail, and I like the pose and HA. I agree with others to maybe selectively sharpen the head, and with regards to the FG grass, it looks as if some NR got mixed up there.