Posted by Wayne Rhodus on March 22, 2009 at 8:39 PM
My weekend viewing the Sandhill Crane gathering on the North Platte river near Kearney, Nebraska was eye opening to say the least. The weather was uncooperative until Saturday morning when fog lay over the river until the warm sunlight burned enough of it away to reveal masses of cranes on sandbars and in flight. This is one shot I like that captured all of those elements in shot.
100-400L @ 180mm, 1/750 @ f8, ISO 640 equiv,(clone out birds at frames edge)
Posted by Larry Daniel on March 22, 2009 at 8:44 PM
Very nice scene Wayne.
Tough exposure situation. Are the whites a bit hot?
Awesome scene. Hard to believe these guys weigh a couple of hundred pounds.
Posted by Aaron Szabo on March 23, 2009 at 12:53 AM
This is great Wayne. It has the perfect amount of visual elements for me. I'd like to this one printed.
Posted by Brad Mangas on March 23, 2009 at 2:16 PM
Nice to see you made it there and back safely Wayne. Uncooperative weather or not I bet it was a fabulous experience. I'm looking forward to at least a few more shots of what I missed out on!
Posted by Wayne Rhodus on March 23, 2009 at 3:01 PM
Thanks for the comments, this small scene and moment doesn't begin to do justice to the experience of seeing tens of thousands of cranes in one place ... and then getting to see and hear them lift off as a bald eagle flies through the area. The sound of their chattering is deafening.
Ed, I'm not sure where you got your information but here are some facts about the Sandhill Cranes:
Height: 3 to 4 feet
Weight: 6 to 12 pounds
Wingspan: 6 to 7 feet
Lifespan: 20 to 40 years
If they were a couple hundred pounds each that would have been a scary sight indeed!
Nice shot, I like how you brought all the different elements together in one shot.
Posted by Barry Southon on March 23, 2009 at 4:41 PM
Wayne
A nice shot and usefull info. We are planning a visit this week hope they will still be there.
Barry
Milford Ks
Posted by Wayne Rhodus on March 23, 2009 at 5:09 PM
Not to worry Barry, they will still be there in mass. I would highly recommend making arrangements with Rowe Sanctuary to access the viewing blinds for either sunrise or sunset. Some good photo opportunities may be had from there.
Beautifully composed shot, Wayne, with some really nice morning light. Must have been quite an experience, though I'd wished they were 200 lbs like Ed mentioned kinda takes some of the shine off...
Posted by Tom Kennon on March 23, 2009 at 11:10 PM
Wayne very nice shot. I really like the mood in the background also.
Posted by Jim Walker on March 28, 2009 at 10:57 PM
Wayne - great camera work while you up on the Platte. I've enjoyed your pics. My wife and I went up a day after you returned home and faced very angry skies and 60 mph winds. Next year perhaps. Congrats!!
Discussion
11 replies100-400L @ 180mm, 1/750 @ f8, ISO 640 equiv,(clone out birds at frames edge)
Tough exposure situation. Are the whites a bit hot?
Ed, I'm not sure where you got your information but here are some facts about the Sandhill Cranes:
Height: 3 to 4 feet
Weight: 6 to 12 pounds
Wingspan: 6 to 7 feet
Lifespan: 20 to 40 years
If they were a couple hundred pounds each that would have been a scary sight indeed!
A nice shot and usefull info. We are planning a visit this week hope they will still be there.
Barry
Milford Ks