Sandhill Crane Courtship

By Michael Eggert

When I pulled into the campgrounds surrounding Pettit Lake late last June, I had only two goals in mind: to spend quality time with my sister Allie and to get photographs of any pronghorn we might spot along the way.

Allie was doing ecology work, collecting plant samples from river systems across eastern Idaho. This was exciting for her, because she got to spend all her time backpacking and contributing to science, and it was exciting for me, because I knew she saw loads of pronghorn all the time.

Pronghorn are by far my favorite animal to photograph, since they’re so quick and elusive. I figured with Allie as my guide, I was bound to get some great shots of the phantom-like animals.

Our plan was to take the Tincup Hiker Trail from the lake into the Sawtooth Range the next day, but that evening Allie spotted a small herd of pronghorns in a little meadow about a quarter-mile from Pettit Lake. She abruptly stopped the car. We got out and counted three does and a calf grazing.