I love Sandhill Cranes. They seem so graceful. I enjoy watching them do their mating dance.
Did you know?
The Sandhill Crane does not breed until it is two to seven years old. It can live up to the age of 20. Mated pairs stay together year round, and migrate south as a group with their offspring.
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These birds are so neat to watch. They will stay in one place, and when they see their prey they dive bomb to get it.

I was on the Auto Tour and was taking pictures of Turtles on a log. When all of a sudden the mommy Merganser flew out of a Wood Duck box, and the next thing I see are her chicks jumping out. It was so funny to watch. There were 13 chicks all together. They were so cute.
A refuge worker was cutting grass I think that is what scared them out.
The picture is not the greatest the lighting sucked. But I had to get the picture.
The Biologist at the refuge asked if I see any broods, if I could take pictures of them so they can see how old they are. These were about 3 days old. They do weekly bird counts on the refuge.

The Hooded Merganser is the second-smallest of the six living species of mergansers.

The Hooded Merganser finds its prey underwater by sight. The merganser can actually change the refractive properties of its eyes to enhance its underwater vision. In addition, the nictating membrane (third eyelid) is very transparent and probably acts to protect the eye during swimming, just like a pair of goggles.

A common swallow of marshes and open fields, the Tree Swallow is a ready inhabitant of nest boxes.

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I named this post You Can’t See Me because this guy is always hard to find. They blend into the cattails so well.
Hubby was asking me what I was taking a picture of because he couldn’t see it.
They stand so still with their neck and head straight up to the sky.

The American Bittern is a common bird of the marshlands, but is seldom seen. The American Bittern is well camouflaged in its environment of reeds, water, mud, light and reflections. Because of its subtle coloration and striping, the American Bittern seemingly melts into the marshland scene.

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Familiar to most North American birders in its black-and-white winter plumage, the Horned Grebe is more striking in its red-and-black breeding feathers. Its “horns” are yellowish patches of feathers behind its eyes that it can raise and lower at will.
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