Japanese crane dance - Jan Vermeer - Wildlife Photographer of the Year2006

2006: Creative Visions - Runner-up

Jan Vermeer Enlarge image Japanese crane dance

Jan Vermeer (The Netherlands)

Japanese crane dance

Japanese red-crowned cranes are possibly the most artistic of all the birds. Loved by photographers, they are elegant in a truly Japanese way. Locally, they symbolise peace, longevity and fortune - and fidelity, as they pair for life. Captivated by their spectacular courtship dance, Jan recalls how 'their choreography on the snow field was perfect'. The beauty of the scene is accentuated by the positioning of the birds on the edges of the dance floor around the leading couple. The background is almost completely white. The Japanese crane is the largest of all the cranes at around 1.3 metres tall, and with a wingspan of more than two metres. Highly endangered, it occurs only in northeastern Asia. It is resident only in Japan, mainly on the northern island of Hokkaido - which is where Jan watched the performance.

Nikon D2x with 500mm f4 lens; 1/1250 sec at f8; 200 ISO.