Friday Foto Friends: The Dance of The Sand Hill Cranes

 In my Thursday post I showed some pictures of the Sand Hill Cranes on our Still Waters Pond. I mentioned that it's time for them to start doing their courtship/mating ritual dancing, and that I would try to get some videos whenever possible.  Lo! and Behold! That same afternoon our resident couple flew in and started entertaining us with their dancing.  I hope you will be able to open these videos and enjoy the dance!

Please excuse the background traffic noise, as there is a busy highway just over behind those trees on the other side of the pond.  But do turn on your sound so you can hear the cranes' calls occasionally.

This is the first one:

And here is the 2nd one.

This is a very brief video, with one leap and call...I still thought it was worth watching and hearing!

Here's some information that I found on the computer:

The mating and courtship dance of Florida Sandhill Cranes is an elaborate, graceful display of synchronized movements, vocalizations, and acrobatics. [1, 2]

Key Elements of the Dance

Acrobatics: The birds leap high into the air with their wings fully or partially extended, jump up and down, twirl, and run in circles. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Bowing and Posturing: They lower their heads in deep bows toward the ground, stretch their necks, fluff their feathers, and shake their tails. [1, 2]
Object Tossing: Cranes frequently pick up sticks, grass, or dirt with their beaks and toss them into the air. [1, 2]
Synchronized Calls ("Unison Calling"): The dance is often accompanied by loud, rattling calls, where the male and female coordinate their vocalizations (such as the female giving two calls for every one from the male). [1, 2]

Why They Dance

Courtship & Mating: The dance helps attract a partner and showcase strength, power, and protective instincts. [1, 2, 3]
Strengthening Pair Bonds: Sandhill Cranes mate for life (often staying together for 20 years or more), and bonded pairs continue to dance year-round to reinforce their partnership. [1, 2, 3]
Territoriality & Communication: As noted in discussions on platforms like Reddit, the movements are also used as a form of communication or to express stress, alertness, and territorial boundaries. [1, 2]

I hope you enjoyed this little display of courtship and love!  I do  hope our couple will be able to build their nest in our pond this winter as per their usual annual routine.  Stay tuned for more developments!

In case anyone has any doubts about where these amazing creatures came from...here's what God says to us in His Word, the Bible:

Genesis 1:20-28

20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

I guess that passage should answer a LOT of questions for us! Amen!

We are off today to go meet my hubby's brother and wife for lunch at a half/way point, "The Mason Jar", about an hour's drive away, "over the river and through the woods". Benton and Rose will be going with us too. This will be our "Thanksgiving dinner" with them, as they have other plans on Thanksgiving Day. So I will have to catch up with you later!  Have a blessed weekend my friends!