The preening show of a wild Blue Crane! (Rare shots)

Ever seen South Africa's national bird cleaning itself?

She knows where I am, but am seated on the grass and offering her no reason to expect an attack.

A beautiful bird when viewed up close and so elegant!

And finally a bonus shot for all of you! The Blue Crane accompanied by an Egyptian Goose!

To gain an animal's trust is to show them no threat, but to act almost as if you don't see them. Normal and slow with no rash actions knowing that they are watching your every move and also not to get too close to them. Of course it takes time before they will relax, but the wait is so worth it. My motto is that the bigger they are, the slower I am. Not like Dragonfly shooting where on has to snap with speed on instinct, but rather a very slow action without arousing any suspicion.

Hope you have enjoyed the pictures and thank you for visiting a post by @papilloncharity

Team South Africa banner designed by @bearone