NM - Sandhill Cranes

My first morning in New Mexico, it was snowing reasonably hard. I was up before dawn and drove to Bernardo Wildlife Area about 30 minutes north of my hotel. When I arrived, there were perhaps 4 other cars with photographers, all of whom were still huddled in their warm cars waiting for a bit more light.

As the skies lightened, the Sandhill Cranes began to stretch and move about.

I liked this image because it reminded me of an ice skater. With the temperature at around 20 Fahrenheit, there was plenty of ice on the ground.

Eventually, the occasional intrepid soul took to the air. This one seemed to have something to say to everyone still on the ground.

On my second day, the sun was out. This time I headed about 30 minutes south to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. At Bosque, they did not have the huge flocks of Sandhill Cranes like Bernardo, but there were individual and small groups scattered about.

My primary reason for being at Bosque was to photograph the wide variety of bird species that can be found within the refuge. Nonetheless, throughout the day, I could hear the calls of Sandhill Cranes, then frequently see them in the sky headed somewhere.

In the midafternoon, I hopped in my car and headed back to Bernardo to see the cranes and geese fly in for the night.

As the sun set, the golden light intensified.

Two days later, when I stopped by Bosque for sunrise on my way to Truth or Consequences, I found these two cranes sleeping in. In my next post, I will showcase some of the beautiful waterfowl found throughout Bosque del Apache.