Tracking Big Birds

This spring we've had some visitors across the road.  Visitors that I don't remember since we've lived here.  But I'm sure I'd remember them if they had visited before.

Sandhill Cranes.  A couple evenings ago there were about a dozen of them and I decided to go check them out since bedtime was under control and it was so nice out.  So I put on my rubber boots (or as Violet calls them, Scrubber Boots), told Brent I'd be back in a bit and headed over.  The mountains were amazing.

The birds were close.

And our stupid little dog chased the cranes off before I could get a good picture.  They are big enough that they could probably just eat her.

But, look what I found!

To back up a little, not too long ago I decided that this summer we are going to try to find animal tracks and make plaster of Paris casts of them.  So, before I would let Brent come home yesterday, he had to find some.  (Actually I called a few places and found some for him to just stop and get.)

And after dinner, off we went!

For once, mom wasn't behind the camera.  And daddy did a pretty good job. 

The dog came, again.  But she apparently is a part of the family now.

We found a few really good prints. (Violet calls them train tracks.  That does sound strikingly similar to crane tracks to a two-year-old.) They were on a slope, but we made them work.

Calla felt she needed to wear her helmet in case she slipped on some ice and landed on her head.  Smart kid.  And it's amazing that nobody landed on the track, as close as they were.

We got the two of them set and headed back to the house for baths and bedtime.  And then I went and retrieved the casts. 

Can we say AWESOME!?

I'm super pleased with our first ones!  They will cure for a few days and then I'll clean them off.  I was thinking that originally we'd try the process on chicken, cat or dog tracks.  But this is fabulous! 

I dream of a collection of tracks with the kind and date and where we found them to display somewhere in our house.  A kind of tribute to our adventures.  I'm so excited!

**EDIT**  Wanted to add the link to the instructions I used.  And also, the big round metal thing, while cool looking and perfectly round, may not have been the best choice since now I have no idea how I'm going to get the cast out of it.