View allAll Photos Tagged BosquedelApacheNWR
These impressive birds, with green feathered masks and a cream colored cap, are American Wigeon drakes (drakes being the name for male ducks). They have already begun their migration from the more northern reaches of North America to southern wintering grounds like Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. Wigeons are dabbling ducks. That means that they procure their meals predominantly by eating from the surface rather than diving. However, it is said that they do have a peculiar propensity to steal pieces of vegetation brought to the surface by other diving birds. You can pick out dabbling ducks easily. They are the birds who spend time with their tails pointed skyward and their heads under water. Diving ducks, on the other hand, do just that. They will dive under the water and resurface some distance away. Whether dabbling or diving, it all sounds just ducky to me! #ILoveWildlife #ILoveNature #ILoveBirds #WildlifePhotography in #NewMexico #Nature in #BosquedelApacheNWR #AmericanWigeon #Wigeon National Wildlife Federation The National Audubon Society #Photography #DrDADBooks #Picoftheday #Photooftheday
Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) male. Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. Socorro Co., New Mexico.
My wife took this photo of me and two others photographers doing what photographers do. I am in the tan cap and dark vest. This pond is right beside the road and what had been overrun with photographers at dawn was almost empty at midday.
Sandhill Cranes. Bosque Del Apache NWR, New Mexico.
This is an image from my January 2010 trip. The Sandhills and Snow Geese roost in shallow water during the night for protection from predators. There are two shows daily, the fly-out and the fly-in. Luckily these stayed until the light was good enough to capture them still roosting, thus allowing for a bonus show.
A mule deer family hides amongst the dense brush at @Bosque del Apache, NWR, in San Antonio, New Mexico. Mule deer differ from white tail deer in that they have larger mule-like ears (from which we derive their name), black tipped tails, and antlers that bifurcate. They are mainly browsers (eating brush and shrubs) but will also eat grasses (graze). Males tend to live on their own, or in groups. Fauns are born in the spring and are weaned by fall. Mule deer are generally found west of the Missouri River.
This is looking West so the pre-sunrise light to the right is bounced light from the East. Oh, and there's still stars on the left!
I don't know what was said but suddenly there was a huge cackling commotion and the air was full of snow goose. It would have been a perfect opportunity for a video but since what I carry is a still camera, I rarely think to use it as a video camera until somebody (in this case Mrs M) tells me "that would have made a great video!"
Doh!
So here are three shots sort of summing it up with a few detail shots to follow.
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We had no plans for Thanksgiving except to stay home in the unseasonable cold so Mrs M took a few personal days off. Armed with reservations via Hotwire (you never know what you're going to get) and a rental car, we set out for a new 6 days, 7 nights adventure.
First stop: Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. It's an old favorite, especially when the cranes and snow geese are in town. This stop didn't disappoint, there were plenty of birds, and we hit it at the end of the Festival of the Cranes, which we usually seem to miss.
Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens) in corn field. Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. Socorro Co., New Mexico.
Looking west around sunset, just before the sandhill cranes and snow geese start to fly into the refuge for the night.
One of the most amazing experiences to be had at the Bosque is to witness the flight of the snow geese as they take off together. This somewhat predictably occurs in the morning and may occur more than once. If a predator happens upon the scene they explode up in the air again from either roosting or feeding in the fields. It is one of the most impressive spectacles I've observed in nature, and it may actually occur literally right in front of you and right at you. Numbers of geese in the air at the same time number easily in the many thousands. See the Bosque bird count which resides in the entrance area of the visitor's center below in comments for some additional perspective.
"Where's Waldo" above refers to searching for the various plumages I've posted earlier, starting with an adult "blue" goose (dark morph snow goose), juvenile plumaged snow geese, and both adult Snow and Ross's geese!
File#: 1817388
Nikon D5, Nikkor 80-400 f/4.5-5.6 AF-S, at f/11, 1/1600sec, ISO 200.
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Yellowstone is full of dramatic light at the beginning and end of each when you're anywhere near the many geo-thermal areas. The difficulty is capturing the wonderful color and the structure of the subjects when the light is so awesome. Sometimes, it's simply a matter of shooting a lot of images and picking the right one later on. That's what I did here.
I shot dozens and dozens of images and only picked two as being worthwhile. There are a lot of nuances that makes this image work for me I would've missed if I didn't shoot many many frames of the same scene. In other words, shooting lots works.
Cheers
Tom
#yellowstone #wyoming #nationalpark #bison #naturephotography #nature #nikon #nikonphotography
File #:1807766
Nikon D500, 180-400mm f/4 AF-S, f/5.6, ISO 1600, f/1250sec
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Composition is an interestingly complicated thing. Most of the time we struggle with the image's components and how they relate to each other. The rules to remember; "Don't put the subject tin the middle..." "Look at the rule of thirds..." Seemingly endless frustration. Then again, there's color.
So much about photography is about the light. Goes without saying since the concept of photography is all about capturing... light. Sometimes people make a thing about perfect light, like it's some sort of mythical animal we photographers should always search for. Light, it's a thing. As often as we shoot around the golden hour in search of light, success is still fleeting.
Sometimes, all of it comes together. The light. The composition. Everything comes together. As hard as we try, such success can be a surprise. Yet another aspect of photography I love.
Tom
It is the day's end and the sun sets the sky ablaze, while Sandhill Cranes glide gracefully on a cool autumn breeze. They will find refuge in the shallow retention ponds of Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. The waters provide some modicum of safety from predators like the coyote. They will remain in the water until first morning light, when their day starts anew.
Panning sandhill cranes and snow geese is one of my favorite photographic activities. I know that not everyone understands it, I mean, it's a blurry photo, right? Well, yes and no. In a good pan shot at least a portion of the image should be in relative focus. The rest of the photo is purposefully blurred to give a sense of motion. The photos have a painterly appearance. Panning requires patience and a steady hand. Most certainly when panning many photographs are wasted. I'm dedicating this photo to Nelson Mandela, a man who's vision was clear even when his path was blurred by hatred, bigotry, and abuse of power. Many people lead better lives today because of the way in which he lead his life. He leaves us today at the young age of 95.
Pair of sandhill cranes at Bosque. This is an older photo but just now found and edited. I was using the Canon 300 mm f/4L IS lens, and it's a great flight lens for larger birds such as these cranes.
Thanks for viewing, and I appreciate comments, criticisms, invites and/or faves.
Happy Thanksgiving (for those in the U.S., or for everyone else for that matter!)
The title belongs to Michael Forsberg, an innovative and talented photographer, and a dedicated conservationist. He has photographed and photographed and studied the Sandhill Cranes of the Nebraska Sandhills for years. These are one of nature's oldest birds. Fossil records date back millions of years. They are majestic birds who's calls seem to echo through the eons. Set against the backdrop of New Mexico's hills, mountains, and skies, this large bird arrives to claim leftover grain from fields freshly cut.
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias). Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refiuge. Socorro Co., New Mexico.
Bosque del Apache is managed for the birds. Crops are grown specifically for them and select fields are flooded during the Winter to provide them with a relatively secure place to overnight.
They seem to know this...
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We had no plans for Thanksgiving except to stay home in the unseasonable cold so Mrs M took a few personal days off. Armed with reservations via Hotwire (you never know what you're going to get) and a rental car, we set out for a new 6 days, 7 nights adventure.
First stop: Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. It's an old favorite, especially when the cranes and snow geese are in town. This stop didn't disappoint, there were plenty of birds, and we hit it at the end of the Festival of the Cranes, which we usually seem to miss.
A sandhill crane was coming in for a landing in the cornfield. I will be posting a number of crane images over the next few weeks....
A self-portrait with my wife at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge taken the last morning we were there for our Thanksgiving 2006 road trip.
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). Bosque del Apache Naional Wildlife Refige. Socorro Co., New Mexico.
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