Sandhill Crane Landing

Nikon D1h, 600mm f/4 AFS, Incident Metering, 1/500sec, f/5, ISO 250, SB-28DX, -1.7ev Fill, Better Beamer, Gitzo 410, Wimberly Head.

Ungainly? Indeed... While beautiful fliers, Sandhill Cranes are not the most graceful at low speeds such as landing. Many times they look like parachuters, other times they just plop to the ground. Here, the bird looks like it's an aircraft on final approach with its landing gear down.