Crane Watching – Part 1

Common Crane | Kraanvogel

Last week I was for business in Sweden, and organized my schedule in a way that allowed me for a day of Crane Watching (Common Crane | Kraanvogel). A friend of mine (thanks Martin!) organized a stay in a hide near Horborgasjön. So last tuesday I found myself in a very small hide (200x80cm) for some 16 hours (from 5am till 9pm), in the midst of thousands of Cranes and Whooper Swans (Wilde Zwaan). The area is a main meeting place for the Cranes coming from the South. They feed here after their long trip, and look for a partner to raise some kids. This year, due to the cold weather in most European countries, they arrive only now, some 3-4 weeks late, meaning that their time is limited. Maybe that’s why I saw the first ones mating as soon as the sun came over the hill 😉 . Photographing proved to be quite a challenge though: with so many birds , it’s almost impossible to isolate one from the group – always there’s some other bird in the background (grey spots = cranes, white spots = whooper swans 🙂 ). Nevertheless, I made quite some okay shots, and am currently in the process of sorting out some 1.300 images… Pffff…. Here’s a first selection, hope you like it !

photocrati gallery

This Post Has One Comment

  1. Hallo Hans,

    Fantastische ervaring lijkt me dat…zoveel Kraanvogels…daar wil je wel 16 uur voor in een hutje zitten…hahahaha

    Die paring van Kraanvogels is helemaal geweldig.

    Succes met het uitzoeken nog.

    Gr,

    Remco

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