Returning

The crane family stays close to the pond where the Crane Chicks hatched. Usually the cranes walk in the grassy area adjacent to the water. Yesterday Mama Crane and Papa Crane escorted the Crane Chicks to a knoll at the edge of their territory:

The Crane Chicks get exposed to threats when they wander farther from the nesting area. Some of the threats are old. Last evening, for example, Papa Crane tussled again with one of the geese; Mama Crane and the Crane Chicks watched from the shore:

After nightfall, we heard a screeching dispute in the pond. We worried that perhaps coyotes had reached the nest. The fox and the turkey vultures also came to mind.

When I got up this morning, I looked out to check on the cranes. I didn't see them in the yard. I worried at first, but then I saw they'd walked even farther than they had gone yesterday. The family was digging around for nibbles in an adjacent cornfield:

Mama Crane and Papa Crane later led the chicks back to the grass:

Soon, they settled in their familiar spot:

Sunday: the day for strolling.