The Grey Crowned Crane

Meet the Grey Crowned Crane from the International Crane Foundation. This lovely female is on exhibit near the Visitor's Center, a place that she proudly occupies due to her unique circumstances. As the guide explained, she imprinted on humans instead of on her fellow Grey Crowned Cranes, and now she thinks she is a human and wants nothing to do with those other birds.  

On my recent visit to the Center with fellow photographer Noriko Buckles, the Grey Crowned happily strutted her stuff, and fluffed a few feathers at the group of school children that came to visit.

Her golden crown was backlit by the sun, but the grid of the wire fence surely detracted from the ability to capture her in her full beauty. I took several photos anyway, and with a little Photoshop editing to remove the distractions of her pen, her elegance shines through.

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