THIS POST JUST WIPED OUT MY LAST ONE…. WHAT NOW…???? (photos below….)
This is a continuation on from yesterdays post…. more of my differing perspective to the norm… call me odd but I love them…
I really enjoy these photos…. they just say a bit more about the bird…. and these are those you commented on yesterday that were wiped out by this post…………….
The Blue Crane used to nest on my old farm, where I managed to capture them on film (I mean old time photographs), these I lost when our house was flooded and everything went floating down the river.
The photos I captured recently in a conservation area, a beautiful bird that stands proudly, till a parachutist flies overhead. I was astounded when these birds standing calmly started to get very agitated and were watching the sky. Expecting to capture an eagle of sorts I looked up, and there was this person floating past with a parachute. Where he came from, and where he went, I have no idea..
The Blue Crane is a tall, ground-dwelling bird, but is fairly small by the standards of the crane family. It is 100–120 cm (3 ft. 3 in–3 ft. 10 in) tall, with a wingspan of 180–200 cm (5 ft. 10 in–6 ft. 7 in) and weighs 3.6–6.2 kg (7.9–14 lb.).
This crane is pale blue-grey in colour becoming darker on the upper head, neck and nape. The bill is ochre to greyish, with a pink tinge. The long wingtip feathers, trail to the ground. The primaries are black to slate grey, with dark coverts and blackish on the secondary’s. Unlike most cranes, it has a relatively large head and a proportionately thin neck.
In South Africa it has a Cultural history…
The Blue Crane is a bird very special to the amaXhosa, who call it indwe. When a man distinguished himself by deeds of valour, or any form of meritorious conduct, he was often decorated by a chief, being presented with the feathers of this bird. After a battle, the chief would organise a ceremony called ukundzabela – a ceremony for the heroes, at which feathers would be presented. Men so honoured, wore the feathers sticking out of their hair, were known as men of ugaba (trouble) – the implication being that if trouble arose, these men would reinstate peace and order. The Skull Crackers….
The Photographic Journey of bulldog. 