Wildlife photography of a Sandhill Crane and two colts on a grassy lakeshore

The timeless roles of parent and child seem universal across all life in this moment of play and nurture between a Sandhill Crane and two cavorting colts near their nest at Floating Island Lake in Yellowstone National Park. Very difficult to photograph, these highly reclusive birds are excellent nurturers with both mates gathering materials and the female directing construction of the nest where their young will stay with them for about 10 months.