Ah, the mighty crane, of which I knew absolutely nothing. So, I fished out my trusty Pocket Birds of Canada (Bird, 2016) and was surprised to find out there are two kinds of cranes up here: Whooping and Sandhill. This one happens to be the latter. You can recognize it by the rusty feathers, which according to my reference guide, the bird acquires after poking around in the iron rich mud with its long bill then transferring it when preening its feathers. They also have a red crown, which looks rather regal if I may say so. Apparently they have some cool courtship dances and loud vocalizations, but this particular one was the stoic silent type.
Notice the Canada goose checking out the crane, dare I say coquettishly? She's probably thrilled by his shaggy feathers and long black legs
Is it my imagination or is that goose up there synchronizing her movements with the crane?
They are ground nesters who lay one single brood with one single egg. Their diets consists of plants, grain, and aquatic critters. This is a lake with marshy surroundings, so it's perfect for the crane. The wingspan is a whooping (ahem!) 7 1/4 ft (2.2 m) (Bird, 2016).
I think there's more than meets the eye in this lake
Resource
Bird, David M (Editor). 2016. Pocket Birds of Canada.
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