Bird Photo Competition 3 2017
Results
Winning Photo

This intimate close-up gets 99% of its appeal from the emergence of the chick's bill-tip next to that of its attentive parent.

Thank you so much for considering my photo and awarding it with a Mark of Excellence award. This was my first time photographing Sandhill Cranes. I had an idea as to when the eggs would hatch but the estimated time can always vary. I took this shot hoping to see a crack with promise...but it wasn't until I pulled it up on the computer at home that I saw that the colt was pipping and that I had actually captured the little beak through the crack. I knew then that the colt would hatch by the next day! This photo was taken in Venice Florida with a Canon 80D and a Sigma 150mm - 600mm lense.