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Oh what a joy! Wisconsin is part of the breeding program for Whoopers and I’ve been to the main area where they nest and only saw two as white specks in the distance. Maybe some day I’ll get to see them closer. The International Crane Foundation is here in Wisconsin also and they’ve reported that the Louisiana colony is doing better now and some are moving with birds that come to Wisconsin. Very exciting!
Thank you for your comments - it was an experience that I did not expect as the purpose of the trip was to photograph Sandhill Cranes and White Pelicans. The Sandhill cranes had left the area earlier in the week, we saw and photographed about 20, not the 100’s that are usually at the preserve in late February early March. Before we went out to photograph we were told that there were 3 Whooping Cranes in the area, we were blessed that they came in to feed right near us. Otherwise they were small white specs in the distance. The Goose Pond Preserve is in Linton Indiana, about 90 miles south west of Indianapolis.
This is a pleasing scene of some rare Whooping Cranes, Ian. While you didn’t have much time to think about composition while shooting, you did catch the birds in the right position in the frame and you can always refine the composition in processing. This shot, for example would benefit from a crop off the bottom (which is mostly dead space) into a panorama ratio. That would balance the scene better and accentuate the long line of birds. The small version looks pretty good but, unfortunately, when viewing the large version I can see lots of overexposure on the cranes and lots of noise in the whole image. Your ISO isn’t very high so the noise must be a factor of the camera body. Glad you had the opportunity to see these Whooping Cranes!