BACK COUNTRY BY ROBERT ADAMS
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ROBERT ADAMS
ate in the afternoon, sandhill cranes land in the shallow
water of a sand pond to roost for the night. Later,
ducks, ibises, wood storks and herrings will join them.
The middle bird is a young crane almost ready to leave
his parents. They have been in the fields all day hunting
for insects, seeds, small mammals and small snakes. They
are busy preening their feathers; most birds do this twice a
day. The water protects them from predators at night. L