Blue Cranes

Blue Cranes. I have just returned from a terrific trip to Botswana and South Africa. Several pairs of courting Blue Cranes were among the highlights. It's listed as vulnerable (threatened) by the ICUN. While it is still common in the Overberg area of Western Cape province of South Africa where we saw them it has declined greatly in most of it's range. The decline has been largely due to it's grassland habitats being converted to commercial tree plantations and purposeful or accidental poisoning by farmers to protect crops from it and other species. Many of the world's cranes are endangered. The International Crane Foundation http://www.savingcranes.org/ is involved in trying to save all the species of cranes.

Canon 5D3 500F4 1/1000 F6.3, iso 1250, handheld out vehicle window