Cranes, Little Chicken Girls, and Spice Ears

 I tried my darnedest to update the blog on Monday but my PC thwarted me.  Looks like it's fighting against me again so I may not be able to include all the videos I originally had in mind.  Guess the name of the game is roll with it.

We have a few sand hill crane friends in the "neighborhood".  Yesterday the family I see most often effectively held me hostage for a few minutes on our road.

Today, they were "hopping mad" that I disturbed them again.

My uneducated guess is they were cheesed that I inched the car forward bit by bit.
Anyone else have insight into crane behavior? 

The new little chicken girls are still segregated but that is going to change early next week.  They want to roam (I've had a couple of escapees) and the big girls want the coop back.  The tricky part will be herding them back in at the end of free range time; neither Rick nor I are looking forward to it.

Either Henrietta or Marigold (on the far right) was investigating 

We've had plenty of visiting on both sides of the screened divide inside the coop.  It's always a "cross your fingers" few days when new and old girls are integrated.   And there is always some aggression - one can only hope it's minimal.  The term "pecking order" is accurate.  I will peck you to put you in your place.

The new girls are starting to fill out but they're still skittish around me.  It's such a slow process.  I'm so used to the big girls being fearless with me -- under my feet, stepping on my feet -- that it surprises me (irrationally) when the little girls don't want to be in the same room with me.

 
We can't conclude today's brief post without a donkey photo, now can we.

Spice and her windmill ears, or perhaps more like the Flying Nun