The Baby Crane

One of the reasons we moved to this complex in Stuart, Florida, was because the first time we came to look at the place, two Florida Sandhill Cranes walked across the parking lot right by our car. We have come to love those two cranes and even named them, "Ike and Audrey." As you'll probably learn as we go along, my wife and I name pretty much name all the critters we see most often. Three months ago, much excitement ensued as we noticed that Audrey had laid two eggs and the couple were roosting at the nest in the little marsh behind our building.

Ike and Audrey are wild animals. They are not pets but they have come to trust me and often walk right by and sometimes stop to say hello wherever I am set up for the day to take pictures. But now they were going to have babies! How exciting!

Cranes incubate their eggs for 32 days, so we anxiously waited it out. Finally about two months ago, one of the eggs hatched. We were proud craneparents. Sadly, the second egg never hatched and was eventually abandoned.

The little baby crane we called, "Bailey," and it was so small and fluffy. It was a little ball of fluff with long legs. Two days after it was hatched, Ike and Audrey took the baby on its first walk (around the perimeter of the marsh).

The days went by and the walks got longer and Bailey started to grow. It was subtle at first, but after a few weeks, it had tripled in size. It was still fuzzy and dependent on his parents for food. It often sat in a shady spot while Ike and Audrey foraged. For the first month, Bailey had stumps for wings and no tail.

All that has changed and after two months, Bailey has gotten so large so fast. Nearly as tall as its mother now and feathers are starting to replace fuzz. The wing feathers were the first to come in. And then the tail and now all over. From what I've read, Bailey will stay with its parents for ten months and then be turned away to an intermediate stage. Bailey will not find a mate and continue the cycle until it is two years old.

I have chronicled the birth and development of Bailey in pictures from egg until now. It has been such a joy that I will never forget. I cannot wait to do it again next year! Here are a progression of those pictures. Enjoy!