Sandhill Cranes Raising a Canada Goose Baby!!!

This pair of Sandhill Cranes was found to be raising a Canada Goose baby at a local park. This video is a bit long, but I couldn't cut any of the cuteness! This is such interesting behavior. Doing a brief google search shows this was documented another time in Michigan in 2019. I hope there will be future episodes documenting this interesting saga.

[@infiresaddiction532]

Those cranes are good parents, the gosling looks well taken care of!

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

They are very attentive.

[@centurione6489]

20 years ago I rescued a lonely gosling from a runoff raging river in Montana. I named it Zorro and after a couple of days I gave it out for adoption to an animal rescue center. Still have a picture with Zorro marching in line with its new mom, dad and 3 much larger brothers ... Ciao, Zorro, I hope you had a great life.❤

[@JorgeLuisMeraz-gb4qi]

😊😊😊😊

[@justinclement7462]

Captive geese live up to 30 years - he could still be around ;P

[@WobblesandBean]

I did the same thing! I named him Chub Chub. That was 10 years ago. I hope he's ok, wherever he is.

[@centurione6489]

@@justinclement7462 The goslings were free to fledge and they did.

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

So cool! What a great experience!

[@msblue1003]

the duckling has found out the cranes give better food than its parents!

[@peaceleader7315]

Duh.. Canadian goose family is fighting for food but crane family have less babies and being looking after their young better.. the culture thing.. the fattest adopted chix I ever seen.

[@calvinhoward3808]

He said: No more grass!

[@msblue1003]

Yeah! The ducklet got ambition beyond duckhood , he wants to swallow big

[@joeofoysterbay7197]

Excellent video. Thank you! I wonder if the cranes lost a baby, the gosling lost it's parents, the cranes saw it while the parental hormones were still flowing, and it worked out for all three of them.

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

We've been wondering also. It will always be a mystery. Thank you!

[@platedlizard]

Goslings sometimes wander off from their parents, it's not uncommon for waterfowl to adopt each other's chicks (primarily because the parents can't count, so a pair of ducks can end up with far more chicks than the eggs they laid). I imagine the cranes either lost their babies or the eggs just didn't hatch, and when a lost gosling wandered by they adopted it. I'm sure this is good practice for the cranes if they're first time parents, goslings are a bit more capable of feeding themselves than crane chicks so it's unlikely to come up harm.

[@RYANandMICHELLEchannel]

How special is this!! I hope you get to follow this little ones journey! Looking forward to the next update

[@myvillagebirds]

Yes. It is pretty much interesting.

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Thank you. I will follow along!

[@RYANandMICHELLEchannel]

@@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography Awesome! And very glad that youtube has picked up on these videos and is spreading the word, so well deserved!

[@quieteagle920]

Thanks Cynthia! Wonderful to watch the Cranes with their adopted chick!

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

It is so much fun!

[@babs3652]

Too cute 😊 I thought he would follow the family that came by but no, he is perfectly fine with the adoptive parents. 😃❤️

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

I think he thought he was a crane!

[@gillianlemire5927]

Geese: "The new neighbors are a little 'different', but their baby is super cute!"

[@shiva72945]

This little chick plays the perfect crane babe. There is a video on KZbin of loons raising a duck. The duck rests on the back of its parents, it dives and eats fish.

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

I need to go find that. You are the third person who mentioned the loon/duck episode.

[@WobblesandBean]

​@@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography Hehe I'm one of them. It was so cute, the duckling would dive for fish as taught by her adoptive parents, which is not something mallards do! They're not built for diving and they don't typically eat fish. It really was amazing how quickly she adapted. It's equally amazing that she was adopted at all. Loons are not what I would call great parents. It's incredibly rare that they'd adopt a baby at all, let alone one from a species they would normally consider an enemy.

[@xplorerfriends]

How can you watch and not smile! Thank you for sharing this wonderful encounter!

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

It makes me smile too! Thank you!

[@charlottefox4775]

The little one with the cranes is getting an advanced course on feeding oneself, lol❤

[@Vickey-b5t]

In between this unconditional love relationship, the little guy paused when hearing the geese in the distance, speaking the language inherent in the little one.

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Interesting observation.

[@907Prism]

This is the sweetest thing ive ever seen❤ amazing

[@Fortheloveofbirds2020]

That's incredible and so touching! Beautiful upload ❤❤

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Thank you so much!

[@gijsvermeulen5248]

Hello Cynthia,it is so wonderful to see that these cranes are taking care of this baby!! Greetings Gijs

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Thank you Gijs. It is a very interesting phenomenon.

[@joecorrero6763]

Absolutely amazing! Little one really likes the worms!

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Yes! I love watching her try to get the worms down.

[@Snowkitty1424]

Amazing! what a great video, wish it was longer! What great parents those cranes are, I really hope u get more videos of them and track their progress 🥰

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

I will do it as long as I can!

[@MedXOR]

I was hoping, but not expecting, to see footage of them flying together, gosling and cranes. Really curious to know the backstory - was mama goose angry at papa goose, so laid the egg in cranes’ nest? Did mama crane steal gosling from goose’s nest? Or was the gosling a rebel, fed up with the pecking order. And ran away from home.

[@tangojuli209]

Good camerawork! Great cropping, close ups, distance work.

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Thank you very much!

[@MyaYard]

That is so sweet, such a beautiful video!

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Thank you!

[@tangojuli209]

I followed the other one for a long time, never forgot it. Only a week ago wondering if I could find those videos/facebook posts about it and the frequent updates. It was enchanting. And so memorable. Thanks for this. Hope you can follow them thru the season.

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

I just did a google search and found an Audubon article and 2 photographers who followed along with that other instance of cranes raising a goose. They had a colt too. It was cute to see the gosling and colt together.

[@CricketsBay]

Wow. This is so cool. The captive geese on the campus where I work hatched 10 goslings about a month ago. These geese are at least 15 years old and this is the 1st time they've hatched a brood that I'm aware of. It's been fun watching them grow.

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

It's amazing you've seen the same geese for that long!

[@WildlifeClips365]

lovely birds, great video and wonderful nature.

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Thank you!

[@merveilleuxetmagique]

Thank you so much, wonderful film, with these gorgeous birds! Such a gift from Nature, magical moments captured by you. I have to thank also the Plant People, and the worms for feeding them! Looking forward to part 2!

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Thanks so much!

[@myvillagebirds]

Beautiful charming video. Thank you for sharing. Greetings to you!!!

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Greetings and thank you!

[@KatherineUribe-1]

If their offspring didn't survive and the baby was separated from it's parents early on, it is feasible that this could happen although exceedingly rare. It's written that there is another documented case like this one. It says volumes about the biological imperative to raise offspring. I looked up images of the sandhill crane's offspring. They look very similar to the geese but have much longer legs.

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

there was a video I found from 2011 in Alaska. They saw an adult goose behaving like the cranes and hanging with a crane flock. It was speculated that that goose was raised by cranes.

[@heathermcdonald7354]

​@@CynthiaCarlsonPhotographyI seen that video too, it was fascinating

[@jeffj2495]

incredibly cute

[@mii481]

How utterly sweet and wonderful!

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

The theory is that the cranes somehow incubated the egg so they thought the hatchling was their crane baby. A mystery, to be sure!

[@dkclatkfkd34]

Thank you so much! You make me so peaceful~~~a beautiful film

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

thank you so much!

[@kari3368]

It’s wonderful to see adoptions like this, makes me smile. i wonder what the parents think as their baby grows into a goose! 💕💕. It’s so sweet to see both parents finding food for their sweet little baby….goose!

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

It was so fun to be a witness to!

[@keenwildlifephotographer]

beautiful video, thank you.

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Thank you!

[@HT-fv7fj]

That goose baby will be a great leader because he doesn't worry too much, and he is very adaptive.

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

😂

[@NatureFilmsByJohnKha]

How fascinating, thanks for sharing. Very intriguing how this situation came to be!

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Thank you! It will always be a mystery.

[@pattimiller9157]

Nature makes me so happy ❤

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Mother nature is a mad scientist!

[@oh_k8]

The geese in your video are probably the true parents.😂

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

I wonder . . .

[@sofie322]

Gosling imprinted on cranes. Amazing

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Our theory is that the cranes hatched the egg. Otherwise I don't think the imprinting would happen. But I'm no expert.

[@birddayparties]

He looks bigger and stronger 😍❤

[@cherylcobern4483]

🤗🤗🤗💗💗💗... And there are even Canadin geeseheard in the background. Wonder what mom & dad will think when their little one sounds like the others. 😄

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Will they notice? I wondered if the cranes would realize they had a goose next to them and chase it off someday . . .

[@muza1404]

It's really interesting how the chicken bonds with the cranes, our daughters jack Russell bought a duck egg home and they hatched it and our grandson feed it and raised it now its bringing its mate back and turning it into a pet duck really funny

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

It is funny to see how they adapt!

[@oh_k8]

How did this happen? Did the Cranes lose their nestlings and happen across, then adopt orphan gosling?

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Our prevailing theory is that the cranes incubated and hatched the egg. But it will remain a mystery! Maybe a good children's book!

[@si_vis_amari_ama]

Great video and so beautifully filmed. Thank you.

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Thank you very much!

[@bruceli853]

Did the baby goose just follow them like thought they were the parents???

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

We are guessing that somehow the cranes hatched the goose egg.

[@nationalparksprincess3216]

That is pretty cool 😎

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

It is!

[@dolomedestenebrosus9564]

Fascinating! What happens in situations like this when the goose grows up? Will it join a flock of other geese, or will it keep hanging around cranes? How will this impact its survival chances?

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

I googled this and a video from 2011 came up. A person in Alaska had an adult goose that was hanging with a crane flock, behaving like the cranes. Theory is that the goose was raised by cranes and thought it was a crane!

[@calvinhoward3808]

This could be the beginning of a horror story involving carnivorous geese lol.

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

😛

[@tukkerbear]

OMg this is amazing video. Bless you!

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Thank you very much!

[@pibly7784]

Precious. ❤❤

[@TheLucha5]

Please keep posting about them. Will love to see when the duckling grows. ❤❤

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Thank you! But, unfortunately, the gosling succumbed to a canine (see part 3😢)

[@selgaberzina7360]

Ļoti skaisti! Prieks skatīties!

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Thank you!

[@shiva72945]

I wonder of the canadian will migrate with them.

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

We've been wondering the same thing!

[@quantumcat7673]

They don't actually raise the duckling. The little one is quite able to instinctively feed itself without any parental intervention. They provide protection though.

[@kolapyellow7631]

How cute. He's eating worms instead of green grass.

[@MissMarchHare]

He's chubby

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

It was interesting to see the gosling behave like a baby crane!

[@SemenRetentionKing-k8i]

🌈🌈🌈That is super rare behavior. Most animals or even birds don't raise babies if they are not there's let alone another species of birds, etc. It would be very interesting to know how this gosling would mature later in life. Cranes are omnivores, while geese are herbivorous. Every time I see geese they are always pulling up grass at the local park to eat. That gosling is going to be so confused when he gets larger, if he even make it that long.🌈🌈🌈 🌈

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Yes, unfortunately he succumbed to a canine. so we will never know how it would end.

[@JJDK485]

My theory is mama goose was in labor and couldn't get back to her nest on time, so she laid the egg in a random (crane) nest, and left. Coincidentally, the cranes' eggs didn't hatch.

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

That is a good theory!

[@watchensee]

This is wonderful but how long will it last?

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

See part 3. Unfortunately, the gosling succumbed to a canine.

[@TGGgroupการเกษตร]

ช่วยกันเลี้ยงลูกน่ารักมากครับ💓🥰💓

[@RedPanda74]

Oh my goodness, this is just too precious! I wonder how this came about? Do you think the baby may end up having an identity crisis? 😆

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

🤣 Our theory, somehow the cranes incubated and hatched the egg. But it is a mystery!

[@garheard7337]

Initially I thought it would be a problem because their diets may not be the same or their digestive systems, but I guess that's not the case.

[@freitchetsleimwor2406]

6:09 cutest run

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Agreed!

[@jonathanrossroberts]

Great video! What are you using to move the camera smoothly?

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

My hands!😜. Ideally I would use a tripod, but I like to travel light. So most (nearly all) of my videos are handheld. Thank goodness for image stabilization in both the camera and the editing software.

[@jonathanrossroberts]

@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography Nice! Thanks for the reply. I use a dji mimo for mine. I'm not very good at editing so havent tried image stabilization yet.

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

@@jonathanrossroberts I had a long learning curve for video editing. there are lots of youtube how-to videos out there. I use DaVinci Resolve (it's free).

[@jonathanrossroberts]

@@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography That's what I use as well. I compensated for my lack of editing skills with getting better at recording the video itself.

[@cindythomas5895]

I love this video - thank you ❤

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Thank you!

[@raeskhan8756]

Amazing so beautiful video 😊

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Unfortunately the gosling succumbed to a canine (see part 3)😢

[@earthnow2024]

Wow Amazing captured ❤❤

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Thank you!

[@moslehuddin5159]

I,m very interested to follow this journey.

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

I'm not sure if you saw part 3--a sad ending. Unfortunately the goose succumbed to a canine. It would have been a wonderful journey to see it grow up with the cranes.

[@TerkaBuszptaki2021]

How amazing. 👍👍

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Thank you!

[@ramprashad29]

Oh yes adoption in the animal world a wonderful sight indeed.

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

One of my favorite stories.

[@jorgedelatorre9442]

¿Y qué pasó después? La etología es un tema que me interesa mucho. Gracias por compartir esta interesantísima historia...

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Unfortunately, a dog got to the gosling and it died. It would have been so interesting to see how it grew up.😢

[@kixigvak]

The cranes have no colts of their own?

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

No. We haven't seen any. We think perhaps the cranes hatched this egg. Maybe an abandoned goose nest or something.

[@rikkenielsen8678]

Yum....earth-wormes!🪱🌿

[@손작가힐링센터]

기분좋아지는영상 감사히봅니다~~^

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

I'm so glad. That is my purpose!

[@DorineKong]

Nice to watch this video,very friendly cranes and goose ..🎉🎉🎉 from malaysia..

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Thank you so much! Some day I might get to see some Malaysian birds!

[@DorineKong]

@@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography from sarawak malaysia borneo islands ,we have hornbill birds.

[@marialiadagraca3595]

Lindo vídeo!! Obrigada 😊

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Thank you so much!

[@williamsawesometoys8209]

Thank you for this

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

You're very welcome. thank you for watching!

[@evilish888]

Natures' intelligence functions with effortless ease, with carefreeness, harmony and love

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

So poetic! Thank you

[@Bachurinandthewildworld]

А как так маленькие гуси с журавлями дружат?

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

We think that somehow the cranes hatched the egg and the goose imprinted on them as its parents.

[@bogumilan4912]

Adorable❤️❤️❤️

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Thank you!

[@Apple55330]

Did the crane couple kidnap the little goose baby?

[@red32_12]

most probably for ransom..

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

We are guessing they somehow hatched a goose egg. I can't imaging a baby goose following the cranes after it had already imprinted on its goose parents. But it is a mystery.

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

🤣

[@Wild_birds7]

Woooow amazing 👍👍👍👍

[@Elle.Smith.]

Incredible ♥️

[@Jasonronsteinberger]

a miracle straight out of Scripture

[@lintaozheng]

When the Cranes flied, how can the goose baby follow them?

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

The cranes won't fly away from their babies--they'll stay with them!

[@YanaTokar-v1j]

Ну и мама гусыня! так старалась сохранить потомство что снесла яйцо в гнездо журавлей!❤😊

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

It will always be a mystery how that happened!

[@jathawk101]

They are fating up for later but seriously that is weird I wonder what the cranes will do when it is fully grown.

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

We've been wonder that too. Will it continue to think it's a crane and hang around with cranes its entire life?

[@jbirdyhome-4050]

I love this!!!

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

It was amazing! Thank you!

[@keiniddepea]

Beautiful footage. Cu-u-u-te 💕 Where's your Mother?

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Thank you!

[@Dan-oi4kt]

His Geese parents are near.

[@she9009]

Интересно, а как гусик оказался в приемной семье?

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

the theory is that the cranes incubated the egg and hatched it. The goose imprinted on the crane parents and the cranes thought it was theirs!

[@RachelBirdy]

Love This!!!

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Thank you!

[@JohnODoe-w5c]

A week after this was filmed the cranes had a blazing row the male said there was no way he was the father accused his wife of adultery and filed for divorce

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

🤣

[@fortnitelife8002]

😂🤣🤣

[@ale7564]

But they’re still sharing a nest because the bill was too long! Get it? Bill …

[@sumnergrey4301]

As far as I know, Sandhill Cranes are not sexually dimorphic, so I don't see how we can know, from any of the behaviors recorded here, whether this pair is opposite-sex or same-sex, and if the latter, male-male or female-female. The simplest explanation of the fact that they are raising an adopted chick, rather than one of their own, would be that they are a same-sex pair.

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

We've joked about that. But maybe you're right!

[@sumnergrey4301]

@@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography It's much more common in birds and mammals than most people realize. For a good reference, try "Biological Exuberance " by Bruce Bagemuhl.

[@madamParmesan43]

was their egg substitute?

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

That is our theory because both seem so imprinted on each other.

[@cherieford2899]

Don't the parents rub an oily secretion on goslings??? Because the kid looked like it was sinking in the water the first time in. And yeah same sex pairs will adopt a baby.

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

I've heard about the same sex adoption.

[@mirek5242]

super,,

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Thank you!

[@lovepet4565]

I saw a poor sandhill crane female on eggs was shot in a lake in Minnesota :(

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

Oh no!!!

[@GlynnisFitzpatrick]

They were probably going to eat it and then got distracted and started feeding it.

[@murphychurch8251]

Just how did that happen? 😂

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

So many theories. One is that somehow there was a goose egg on a nest the cranes incubated.

[@petr-podrouzek]

Amazing 🙂

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

It was amazing!

[@debbiebarr4552]

Gosling

[@panibabcia7732]

❤... 🤗

[@JorgeLuisMeraz-gb4qi]

I can't believe my eyes....😂😂😂😂❤❤❤😇❤️❤️❤️😘😘🥰🥰🥰

[@CynthiaCarlsonPhotography]

It was an amazing phenomenon!

[@ibtesamyasser9008]

❤❤😊