After fording the shallows of the west fork of the Rio Grande to one of the large sandbars in the middle of the river, I was faced with a forest of salt cedar interspersed with thorny Russian Olive Trees as I bushwhacked my way across the sandbar to see what was happening along the wider, deeper water running on the east side of the sandbar. Figuring they were hidden from the shutters and eyes of humans they commonly see along the accessible areas to the river, the Sandhill Cranes were playing games, drag racing to be more specific, very much like what you might see in an old Far Side comic.
As I emerged from the orange-yellow briar patch, a couple of Sandhill Cranes took off in a race down the river, while another pair quivered behind the barbed wire starting line ready to start their drag race down the river. I was able to catch the second pair on film and narrate the action in each of the photos below.
Spiky thorns on Russian Olive branches that grabbed and tore at my clothes as a made my way across the overgrown sandbar.
Quick Silver in front and Light Speed in back at the barbed wire starting line.
They are off with Quick Silver getting the jump and Light Speed.
Quick Silver opens a up a gap
Light Speed kicks it in the turbo and goes into warp speed
Light Speed catches Quick Silver and they are neck and neck
Light Speed surges past Quick Silver to take the lead
The race ended when they caught the two cranes that started their race as I came out of the thicket.
