The countdown is over for the arrival of a chick at the Sandhill Crane nest at Reifel. While there were signs of it getting close yesterday with cracks in the egg, the word first thing this morning was it did not hatch until sometime overnight. On getting to the nesting site,
… the adult female was resting quietly.
Then the moment we were waiting for when she stood up and ruffled her feathers.
Our first good looks at the new arrival.
The female left the nest for a brief walk,
… returning to tend to the chick and the nest.
The adult male was also present and circling the nest the whole time.
After the female finished her chores,
… the male took his turn to incubate the remaining egg with the chick peeking out. The chick eventually took cover under his wings. There was a visible hole in the second egg, so it should not be long before it hatches.