Lonesome Crane

Home » Lonesome Crane

Lonesome Crane

One of the first viable shot opportunities for me May 6, 2016, at the Ridgefield NWR was this immature Sandhill Crane.  Not only did the bird’s coloring tell me it was immature but the fact that it was only 120 feet off the road and and moving closer to the road (towards me) as it foraged in the grass. (Most adult cranes flush when you drive within 200 feet of them).  Two O’clock in the afternoon on a sunny day is not the best time to be taking photos of wildlife since the sun is directly overhead and can cast unsightly shadows onto the subject among other problems.  Here I waited for the bird to get into a position where it was back lit and the shadows could be minimized.  While still not the best light, I was happy I got something.  (I did continue shooting until sundown, 8pm, which was the primary light I came to experience today.)

It concerned me that the young bird appeared to be alone so I’m hoping there were other cranes out in the grass that this bird belonged to and out of my sight.

Canon 7D Mark II, 1/1250, f4, ISO 400, 500mm, 1:47 p.m.

One of the first viable shot opportunities for me May 6, 2016, at the Ridgefield NWR was this immature Sandhill Crane.  Not only did the bird’s coloring tell me it was immature but the fact that it was only 120 feet off the road and and moving closer to the road (towards me) as it foraged in the grass. (Most adult cranes flush when you drive within 200 feet of them).  Two O’clock in the afternoon on a sunny day is not the best time to be taking photos of wildlife since the sun is directly overhead and can cast unsightly shadows onto the subject among other problems.  Here I waited for the bird to get into a position where it was back lit and the shadows could be minimized.  While still not the best light, I was happy I got something.  (I did continue shooting until sundown, 8pm, which was the primary light I came to experience today.)

It concerned me that the young bird appeared to be alone so I’m hoping there were other cranes out in the grass that this bird belonged to and out of my sight.

Canon 7D Mark II, 1/1250, f4, ISO 400, 500mm, 1:47 p.m.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

My Gear:

  • Canon EOS 5D Mark IV & Grip
  • Canon EOS 7D Mark II
  • Canon EF 500mm f4L IS II
  • Canon EF 24-105mm f4L
  • Canon EF 50mm f1.8
  • Canon 1.4X III Extender
  • Canon 2x III Extender
  • Canon 580EX Flash
  • Zoom H1 Recorder
  • Better Beamer
  • Manfrotto tripod/monopod
  • Manfrotto Gimbal Head
  • Sandisk Compact Flash Cards
  • The Molar Bean Bag by Vertex
  • Joby Gorillapod Focus & Ballhead
  • Canon EG200 Backpack
  • Storm Jacket Camera Cover
  • Kinesis Safari Sack
  • Original Bug Shirt Elite Edition

Software:

  • Adobe Photoshop CC
  • Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic
  • Nik Color EFEX Pro 4
  • Nik Sharpener 3
  • Nik Dfine 2.0
  • Nik Viveza 2
  • Nik HDR Efex Pro 2
  • Nik Silver Efex Pro 2
  • Nik Analog Efex Pro