@Andrew Swales The fence borders Pelican Lake and is probably about 5 feet high. His head didn't reach the top of it until he stretched. I was interested to see the two cranes close up as they are usually at the far side of the lake where there are lots of shrubs and trees. They are able to wander around the lake should they wish to. There's fencing all the way round.
@Gigit
If you are saying there is no stand-off barrier and only the chicken-wire fence you have shown between you and the birds, please be careful. The stabbing risk is considerable and these birds can be very dangerous. Large cranes can jump more than 5 feet in the air in one spring, so could clear the fence without touching it...
@Andrew Swales
Sorry, I should have added that between that fence and visitors, there's a large gap containing the miniature railway line and then the stand off fence. You can't get closer to the birds on the lake anywhere else. Hope that makes sense!
@Andrew Swales Ah! Just had a thought - when I said I was trying to 'get through' the wire mesh, I wasn't physically poking my camera through it but trying to focus from a distance to make the wire invisible.