Sarus Cranes: On the road from Saltanpur to Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India, March 2023 — Of course, not long after we saw our first Sarus Cranes in the distance from the roadside, our guide had the bus pull over at the edge of a small village almost to Bharatpur and took us off on as field road to the second and third fields in, where, unseen from the road, a large group of Sarus Cranes was feeding. There were 13 birds…obviously from several families (perhaps the adult children of a single pair and their colts) all feeding together at the end of a long field. Others have said, when I posted my first image from the this set, while still in India, that this many Sarus Cranes in a group is a rare site. It turns out that this group has been fostered by our guide and the local farmers. The guide pays the farmers a small fee to leave the Cranes alone and to leave a bit of extra folder in the fields where they feed. (It is quite possible that the famers would do this without being paid…but the guide relies on this group of Cranes for his photography tours, and is willing to make sure they are protected. Besides it is just a good thing to do. 🙂 We were able to approach within a couple of hundred feet…taking our hats off before we tried, as, for some reason, western style hats alarm the birds. ?? Anyway, we were there just as the light of the day was fading…with just enough light for photography. Quite an experience…but it certainly spoiled us for the distant shots of Cranes we would get at Bharatpur and Chambal. Sony Rx10iv at 320 and 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO2500 @ f4 @ 1/500th.