This is another sketch done at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Sandhill Cranes are so special. I remember the first time that I ever saw one. It was at dusk in a horse pasture in Maryland in the suburbs northwest of Washington, DC. At first I heard the odd crxx, crxx sound that the crane makes and then I saw this prehistoric head appear up out of a ditch. It was almost dark and I felt as if I were back in dinosaur times. The crane then marched out of the ditch so that I could see all of him. As the sun set he began flying around the pasture. Cranes do not usually migrate through Maryland. This one was lost. Maybe that made the whole experience with the bird more mystical. I've never forgotten this first encounter and I have taken every opportunity since to seek out these birds. They are magical.
