February Crane Dance

This was painted mostly on location south of the Rowe Sanctuary near Gibbon, Nebraska. It was a very cold day in mid February and it was one of the first days that the Sandhill cranes had arrived for their annual visit during migration. I happened on them quite by accident as I was exploring the back roads in the area. It was mesmerizing to watch their "dance" as they took off, flew up, circled, then landed. The sound of literally hundreds and thousands of cranes is hauntingly beautiful.