[Leica] Sarus Cranes

[Jayanand Govindaraj]

I had been on a short trip to Bharatpur and its environs last week.
Bharatpur is home to the famed Keoladeo National Park, one of the great
bird sanctuaries in the world, as well as a designated World Heritage Site.
These man made wetlands (made in the 18th century, though) were the hunting
preserve of the local maharajah, like so many of India's National Parks.

The trip turned out to be memorable for the number and quality of Sarus
Crane encounters we had, not only in the National Park, but in a village 70
kms away, called Naunera, where a couple of hundred Sarus Cranes, which are
revered in this country, lived in perfect harmony on fields of wheat and
mustard with the human villagers. Sarus Cranes are the tallest flying birds
in the world, clocking in around 6 feet in height, and as such, are
extremely graceful, not only in flight, but surprisingly enough, on land as
well.

Here then are a few photographs. The Sarus, who are monogamous and mate for
life, have a very distinctive trumpeting call, which both members of the
pair ritually engage in together, periodically, to affirm the bonds between
them:

Duet: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/WIndia/
Bharatpur/Bharatpur-20170121-4030.jpg.html

Duet in B&W: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/WIndia/
Bharatpur/Bharatpur-20170121-4034.jpg.html

Finale: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/WIndia/
Bharatpur/Bharatpur-20170121-4047.jpg.html

The Call: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/WIndia/
Bharatpur/Bharatpur-20170121-495.jpg.html

When they are not feeding, they strut about, or groom constantly:

In the Environment: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/WIndia/
Bharatpur/Bharatpur-20170122-1323.jpg.html

Grooming: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/WIndia/
Bharatpur/Bharatpur-20170122-1415.jpg.html

At Naunera Village, they loiter about in the mustard fields or wheat fields

Mustard Fields: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/WIndia/
Bharatpur/Bharatpur-20170123-2537.jpg.html

Family: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/WIndia/
Bharatpur/Bharatpur-20170123-2612.jpg.html

Finally, a few photographs of their considerable grace in flight:

Synchrony: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/WIndia/
Bharatpur/Bharatpur-20170122-1515.jpg.html

Solo: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/WIndia/
Bharatpur/Bharatpur-20170123-3155.jpg.html

Fog: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/WIndia/
Bharatpur/Bharatpur-20170123-2265.jpg.html

Grace: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/WIndia/
Bharatpur/Bharatpur-20170123-2369.jpg.html

Please see LARGE

Comments and criticism, as ever, welcome!

Cheers
Jayanand