My wife went out to the Circle B with me this morning. This was actually her first time going. The wildlife wasn’t super active but we got our 10,000 steps in and I got a few interesting pics.
Red-shouldered Hawk in sunrise light
Osprey taking off
Osprey taking off
Osprey taking off
Little Palm Warbler
Female Belted Kingfisher
Sandhill Crane calling
Sandhill Crane displaying for partner
Sandhill cranes, like most birds, have a special transparent third eyelid called the nictitating membrane that sweeps horizontally across the eye to clean, moisten, and protect it from dust, debris, and predators while allowing them to maintain vision, acting like built-in goggles for flying, foraging in cover, or dealing with baby crane pecks.
Sandhill crane with nictitating membrane covering eye.
Great shots, especially the nictitating membrane on the Sandhills crane.
The membrane video is fascinating. I knew the membrane was there, but have never seen it before. The mating displays are marvelous. The behavior must be genetically determined for a certain time of year.