Silhouetted Sandhills at Sunset

coscorrosa

Or: Crooning Cranes in the Cornfield

I took yesterday off work to check out the migratory Sandhill Cranes on the Columbia Plateau in central Washington. I came like I usually do, unprepared, but sometimes things work out despite my best efforts.

dlplumer

Fabulous image Ron. One of my favorite birds.

kdog

Wow, great shot!


In what way were you unprepared?

Cheers,
-joel

schmoo

Nice! It doesn't seem like Washington at all. Maybe the Serengeti?

Really awesome shot. I too would like to know how you were unprepared.

(Busy birds busting bills in the barrens)

annnna8888

Wow, great find! I agree with Schmoo: when I look at this photo, Africa springs to mind not PNW!

Ana

Darren Troy C

Just awesome! I would, for my own tastes, take this and apply a pano-type crop just across the top of the trees in the BG. Only my personal prefference, however! Great, great capture!

CWSkopec

schmoo wrote:

(Busy birds busting bills in the barrens)

Great shot, Ron!!

dlplumer

schmoo wrote:

Nice! It doesn't seem like Washington at all. Maybe the Serengeti?

Really awesome shot. I too would like to know how you were unprepared.

(Busy birds busting bills in the barrens)

Best alliteration I've heard in years

coscorrosa

kdog wrote:

Wow, great shot!


In what way were you unprepared?

Cheers,
-joel

Thanks. My unpreparedness was basically a lack of research combined with the fact that I had never shot in this area before. I didn't know where the cranes would be most largely concentrated (got lucky and found a spot that had several hundred). It also meant I missed out on any good dawn/sunrise landscapes because I couldn't find any when it was dark, and I missed out on some great early morning light trying to find the cranes (still got a little, but not as much as I could have). By the time sunset rolled around I was better prepared.

The other thing is I should have rented a 500mm lens. The cranes don't get as spooked as, say, herons, but they will scoot about 30-50 yards back after they see you, even if you're in a "car blind."

coscorrosa

schmoo wrote:

Nice! It doesn't seem like Washington at all. Maybe the Serengeti?

Really awesome shot. I too would like to know how you were unprepared.

(Busy birds busting bills in the barrens)

That's funny, my friend and I were thinking the same thing while we were shooting it. There was a lot of dust kicked up along the dirt roads near the field which increased the effect.

(Feathered friends frequently foraging fallow fields for food )

coscorrosa

annnna8888 wrote:

Wow, great find! I agree with Schmoo: when I look at this photo, Africa springs to mind not PNW!

Ana

It really is amazing how different Washington is on the east side of the cascades vs. the west side. Lots of sagebrush, cliffs, canyons - more like a desert landscape than the lush forest/lake/mountains in the rest of the state.

bryanj87

That is just fantastic. I agree with Schmoo et al on the Africa look of this shot. Awesome stuff.

schmoo

coscorrosa wrote:

(Feathered friends frequently foraging fallow fields for food )

You win!!

anwmn1

Now this Golden Light to a whole new meaning.

Very cool especially since it was taken in Washington.

Chrissiebeez_NL

great shot!

coscorrosa

Thanks for the comments everyone!

I just posted some photos of the cranes themselves in the wildlife forum:

http://dgrin.com/showthread.php?p=1071319

grimace

Beautiful color and lighting Ron!! Fantastic work!!