I arrived at the lake just after dawn. It was just me and some elk. I found a turn-off on the East side of the lake and scanned the water for a large, grey shape. I didn't see it, but I saw some birders on the opposite side of the lake. One thing that I've learned is that if you can't find the bird, find the birders. I made my way over and a small group were at their scopes scanning the circumference of the 12 square mile lake. The lake reminded me of the Neuseidlersee in Austria, where I spent a week with a group from Birdwatch Ireland a few years ago (you can read about it here). Like Mormon Lake, it's a wide, shallow lake formed by drainage from the surrounding land.
Back to the search. I recognized some fellow twitchers, but some of the birders had made the drive out from California the night before. We ID'd some crane-looking stumps. I spotted a large, flying bird that was very far away, but flew away from the water. But no Cranes. Then, the youngest birders there spotted something from way out to the south. It looked good for a crane shape, it was moving around a bit, but way too far for an ID. Forget Swarovski, we needed a Meade at that range. We all decided to drive to the Southern part of the lake and try to get a closer look. I made my way past some vacation homes to a dead-end road that should get a better vantage point. Some other birders had followed me and we all scanned to no avail. Then, from behind a fence I spotted a grey shape feeding in the grass. It was light above and dark below and looked to be the right size. I got my scope on it and ta-da, it was the Common Crane.
Common Crane - Mormon Lake, Coconino County Arizona |
Common Crane - Mormon Lake, Coconino County Arizona |
Common Crane - Mormon Lake, Coconino County Arizona |
Common Crane - Mormon Lake, Coconino County Arizona |
Common Crane and Humphry's Peak near Flagstaff - Mormon Lake, Coconino Lake, Arizona |
This was also one of the first outings with my new lens. I added the Canon 100-400mm mark ii recently and sold my 300mm f/4L. I'm really happy with it so far, although I need to sort out a monopod and an easier way to carry it. But it's a quality piece of hardware.
Thanks for making it this far,
Cheers,
Steve
No comments:
Post a Comment