Right in my front "yard"

Ok...so I don't really have a front yard...but I do have a front "ice"...yes, the lake is still frozen. With any luck, it should be gone within the next week or so. Today I was really glad it was still ice. I was sitting at my desk this morning looking out at the lake...a very large bird lands out on the ice...immediately I figured out it was for a sandhill. I grabbed my camera and headed downstairs to tell Brad. He was on a conference call and had seen the same thing I did. I head out to the dock...lo and behold...there are 8 sandhill cranes out on the ice. Given that they are one of my very favorite birds, I was in complete awe. They were sounding off and walking around. They were definitely paired off...they mate life. It was so cool. They headed down toward the neighbor's house...so I ran in and called Marsha to let her know. This evening I found out they spent an hour and a half out on the dock watching and listening to them. I had a conference call so I didn't get to spend much time out there...but I did get a few shots while I was there. It was fun while it lasted...here is my favorite shot of the day...