The Sandhills Are Back

Last Saturday we heard a Sandhill Crane.  The weather was still very cold, with a heavy snow cover on frozen ground.  Earlier last week we heard and saw red-winged blackbirds, and fellow walkers told us they had seen robins. 

Time to show you my Sandhill Crane book that I made in August 2005.  The feathers are the only two we've ever found from them.  I brought them home and Lysoled them nice and good, in case there were any bird mites.  I like getting close to Sandhill Cranes, but there are limits.

I glued Oriental fabric to cardboard, and embellished the front with some decorative threads.  For a closure, I used ribbon that wrapped around the book, then around that silver button that I glued to the cover.

 

The back.

The inside pages are accordion-folded, heavily textured paper.  On alternate pages I glued pictures of Sandhills that my husband took in April 2005.

The series of photographs starts with a landing, followed by a vocalization, then a check for predators before he starts his walkabout search for food.  One time we saw one spear a mouse with its beak, then swallow it.  Ick.

Sandhills weigh 10-14 pounds.  Seems like it should be more.

I made this small (19 x 22 inches) wall hanging in 2006.  Some of the fabric in the center is the same as I used on the book.  These aren't Sandhills, although if you possessed a "scope of imagination" like Anne of Green Gables did, you could pretend they were.

I fussy cut the cranes and swoopy "clouds" out of fabric, then appliqued them onto the lavender "sky".

On the right side, I sewed a strip of iridescent, crinkly fabric.  More cranes and clouds are appliqued on this different texture.

We did so much walking this winter that I wore out a pair of boots.  Here are my new boots that came in the mail yesterday.  Although we're all looking forward to lots more walking and crane sightings, it won't be in these - they're too pretty to get dirty!