Cranes Together

Two Sandhill Cranes stand in shallow water, their elegant necks curving and crossing paths, one bird's head turned back over its shoulder while the other stays alert and forward-facing. Gray plumage is built up in fine brushed linework, with warm rust-toned feather edges characteristic of sandhills that have been preening in iron-rich mud. Small crimson patches of bare skin cap each head, and soft glazing renders the still water in which the birds wade, their long legs reflected faintly below.