At the end of the story, the Sandhill Cranes are all getting along fine and back to eating. That’s also how the story started … but there was a little incident along the way.
Another peaceful family scene.
To set the scene, think about attending a really large family gathering with some strong personalities. People showed up you may not have seen in a while and if you were honest, hadn’t missed.
For the Sandhill Cranes, the perfect spot this week was a freshly combined wheat field near my home for family dinner. There was lots of food, lots of chatter and lots of hugs from members flying in from all over.
I was the uninvited guest watching through my lens and waiting for the inevitable family dysfunction.
It all went smooth for a surprisingly long time. Then Cousin Hank took issue with Uncle Duckworth’s aggressive behavior in the after-dinner games. Suddenly tempers flared, everyone yelled, and before you knew it, someone got kicked.
I looked up from the camera thinking, Did I just get photos of that altercation? I scrolled through the images on my camera and smiled. Here’s what I saw …
The dispute began though no one quite remembers why.
Inevitably, other cranes took sides.
The crane on the right seemed to enjoy the action.
The action intensified and got louder.
That brought other relatives who didn’t want to miss out on gossip potential.
Then it got physical.
Ouch.
A clear victor emerged.
And just like that it was over and forgotten … until the next family gathering.
Krahnpix 
Thanks to my father who told me on the topic
of this website, this web site is really remarkable.
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Pass on my thanks to your father as well. So glad you like the site.
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You got some great gestures here Lyle. Congrats! 🙂
RPRT Photo
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Thanks. It was a lot of fun being there.
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This is a cracking set which I thought I had placed alike upon already turn out I haven’t the reader is very inconsistent in that respect.
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Thanks for doubling back and liking it twice! I have found the reader to be a bit inconsistent as well or my memory is completely gone!
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Great storie line. I couldn’t help but giggle about how family reunions can turn out like that. Really enjoyed the details in your photos. The golden wheat makes the perfect backdrop for this scene. Cranes are very cool! I’ve never captured (with my camera of course) a crane in the wild yet, only at the zoo (which in my book is bit like cheating). Great shots here. Great accompanying storie too! Appreciate your sharing it with us! –Lori
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I’ve certainly enjoyed my times with the Sandhill Cranes this year – they are very cool.
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Incredible set of images!
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I was so fortunate to have everything line up to get them.
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Hmm. Maybe this is the reason for the crane in cranky? Maybe I’ve just had my head buried in a sandhill, naively thinking these birds were always civil!
Thanks for the incredibly clear study of this small group in the field. Here it is Fall, they’re preparing for Winter, and someone must have stepped out of line.
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Civility is sometimes a rare commodity in any group!
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Wow – what a great set of images! Great set!
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I was quite surprised when I first checked them out!
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LOL! I really like that the one to the right is watching with a big grin on his face 😉 Great series, Lyle!!
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Thanks. I really liked the spectator – he looked like he was right into it.
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So even bird-brained families get grouchy once in a while…good to know. Even better that you captured it for posterity, so the cranes can’t come back with an ‘It never happened’ press release. Loved it! It gets the blood pumping to realize you are in on a phenomenon that usually only bird eyes will see! Photographer’s dream, yes?
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Absolutely. I was quite excited when I realized I got it and it still brings a smile to my face. And yes I have the evidence they can’t refute! Thanks for the comments Melody.
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Same here. Fussy, cranky weekend for the birds I guess. 😮
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Great series! Excellent captures showing these cranes behavior! Well done!
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Thanks. I was thinking about your series when I got this one.
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hehe, well captured and captioned! thanks for sharing this 🙂
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Thanks. It was fun to do both.
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Great photos. Looks like some of the student fights I’ve observed at school, where everyone runs over to check out the commotion.
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Sometimes human behaviour isn’t that far removed from wild creatures!
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Holy cow. The photo of the group strutting over to get into the action is perfect; it adds such good contrast. And yes, it is pretty much like many family gatherings I’ve known!
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Thanks. That strutting group was a late addition. I had some fun putting this together.
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Nice commentary.
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Sometimes the ideas come a lot easier and it’s easier to write.
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Great photos. I love cranes. 🙂 Amazing birds.
Lovely scenery.
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They are amazing birds! Thanks.
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Looks like a mine’s-bigger-than-yours squabble between two males.
It’s amazing how big those wings are, isn’t it?
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It really is. The bird looks completely different with its wings extended. I am attracted to the unusual and this certainly fits the bill.
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