Preflight
The Hiawassee Refuge is a marvelous place to see Sandhill Cranes rest during their migration. From October through March or so, about 14,000 of these uniquely picturesque birds rest, relax, feed, and make a lot of noise.
Sandhill Cranes are tall and lanky. They move with elegant grace but sometimes seem clumsy. During the peak of the Sandhill season, it is definitely a sight to see.
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The Sandhill Crane enthusiasts are widespread, and it's a pleasure to see their work published online. Their passion for the Sandhill Crane is evident in every shot they take. Photographers enjoy capturing Sandhills in flight.
This year, I visited the Hiawassee Refuge in early November and saw hundreds of Sandhill Cranes from the observation Refuge’s platform. Usually, they gather closer to the platform so they can be photographed. However, my visit was early in the “season.” Therefore, most of the cranes were at an extreme distance. However, there were two or three in the vicinity of the platform.
I am no stranger to trying to photograph the Sandhill Crane in flight. However, on this trip, I captured something different. I was using a 200-600 mm Sony lens on a Sony camera when I saw a crane start to move and slouch as it walked. I knew in the back of my mind that this crane was ready to fly. I took the photographs, hoping to capture the perfect in-flight photograph right after the crane lifted off… all I got was the crane starting its preflight run.
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Unfortunately, when I saw the crane make its move, my camera wasn't on a tripod. Although the autofocus is set to track the subject and capture the subject’s eye, it can be difficult to hold any camera with a 200-600mm lens. In fact, the lens alone weighs 4.65 pounds.
However, I held the lens at the zoom ring with one hand, tucked my arm against my body, and spread my feet for stability. This enabled me to capture a lovely moment in a Sandhill Crane’s life.