Common Crane

Common Crane


A selection of images of common crane, one of the largest birds of Europe. The vast majority of the images were taken at Easter this year at Lake Hornborgasjön in the Västergötland region of Sweden – though a handful are from my home region of Småland. Every spring, Lake Hornborgasjön attracts tens of thousands of cranes on their migration north. When the numbers peak around the first week of April, it is not uncommon that around 20,000 individuals can be counted at one single occassion! In the past, there were large potato fields around Lake Hornborgasjön and in the spring there was always plentiful supply of frozen left-over potatoes in the fields. However, potato-growing in the area stopped in the 1970s and the cranes are now fed with grain which is laid out for them. During the peak season, more than one tonne is distributed every evening! The huge numbers of cranes that gather at Lake Hornborga attract a lot of human visitors as well. During a four-week period each spring, approximately 150,000 people are attracted to Lake Hornborgasjön to witness the spectacular crane show.