Several observers, including me, have been waiting for a pair of neighborhood Sandhill Cranes to hatch an egg or eggs. The pair had two colts two years ago. Last evening the cranes walked out of the marsh where they nest and into an adjacent horse pasture with one tiny hatchling. This morning the cranes were agitated and without their baby. The landowner has seen a coyote in the area several times lately, inclulding one interaction with the cranes. She believes today that the colt (chick) has been taken by the coyote.
It's the way nature works, but sometimes it seems so unfair.
Below is a photo of a Sandhill Crane and its colts (chicks) taken some years ago in Sherburne County. The colts were very recently out of the eggs. For a size estimate, the adult is about four feet tall.
