jan 14 20-29 Sunrise at Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in San Antonio, NM

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"Being with no one is better than being with the wrong one. Sometimes, those who fly solo have the strongest " – unknown author

Image taken of a sandhill crane wing at Bosque del Apache.

Sandhill Cranes take to the sky just before dawn on a cold November morning in New Mexico.

jan 12 20-879 Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) in the golden hours of sunrise at South Crane Pond, Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge - San Antonio, NM.

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On the last day of the Festival of the Cranes 2013 the weather took a turn. A strong storm blew in overnight, dropping 4 to 6 inches of snow in portions of New Mexico and transforming the area into a slick and slippery mess. It also created a wealth of photographic opportunities. I came prepared for a lot of weather but not for snow. As you might imagine, wet feet predominated the day. The pastel colors of the New Mexican countryside were muted by feathery flakes. Sandhill cranes and snow geese almost seemed confused, thinking that they had already left this form of precipitation up north. By mid morning road crews had cleared the major highways, and I was able to make my flight in Albuquerque later that day. Not knowing if you can get to the airport is a real worry. Really, it's snow joke! #ILoveWildife #ILoveNature #ILoveBirds #WildlifePhotography in #NewMexico #Nature #Birds #Birding #BosquedelApacheNWR #DrDADBooks #Photography #Picoftheday #Photooftheday

This duck took off straight up. Ducks are categorized as dabblers or divers, although many diving ducks also dabble. Blue-wings are dabblers. They have larger wings than divers, which enables a vertical takeoff. Dabblers fly more slowly than divers, and this, plus their large wings, allows them to precisely land in a small area.

As we were photographing birds at Bosque del Apache, a family of six Collared peccaries (also called javelina and musk hogs) emerged from the brush. We thought they were wild pigs, but learned they were peccaries, which are omniverous, but prefer roots, seeds, fruit, insects and other invertibrates. Cacti are important in their diet and they have three stomach compartments to digest cellulose. Individual peccaries are known to confront predators so other members of their group can escape. Source: "The Encyclopedia of Mammals."

Please View 'Bird Rays' Large On Black -or- On White

I enjoy the variety of birds silhouetted here and I especially like how they seem to be following the angle of the fading sunset's rays. Really needs to be viewed large to appreciate.

This was taken at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico. Up to 3/4 of the Rocky Mountain population of Sandhill Cranes (10k) winter in the area, along with around 50K+ Snow Geese and 10s of thousands other waterfowl. The birds are flying back to where they rest at night after a day out feeding.

A few sandhill cranes fly over Bosque del Apache NWR (New Mexico) in the early morning hours. A brain fart on my part caused me to leave my long lens in my previous night's hotel room (a roughly six hour drive away) so I had to mostly concentrate on shooting environmental shots with my 70-300 lens over the weekend. Grrrrr! At least my lens was found by the hotel cleaning staff and is now on its way back to me. Yet another lesson learned!

jan 12 20-n-2662 Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) at south pond, Bosque del Apache NWR in San Antonio, NM

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What is wrong with this bird?

A Sandhill Crane takes off from an overnight roost at Bosque del Apache NWR.

- Isaac Bashevis Singer.

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Finally had some time to go over the images taken while we visited the beautiful Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. Our visit coincided with the sandhill crane migration, but we were early for the snow geese. While I thought I was a decent bird photographer, Bosque exposed every single flaw in my technique and skillset in one day.

Its stunning beauty and the sheer number of wildlife quickly overwhelmed my ability to come up with a plan. I had hoped for a bird in flight shot and one of those massive, but rather than picking an area and letting the birds come there, I resorted to driving around and finding birds. Unfortunately, this was the wrong strategy. While we saw tons of birds, we never managed a good spot at any of those locations. The lighting was terrible, or the wind was not in the preferred direction. As a birder, I had a great day bagging so many lifers, but it was a tough day as a bird photog. But the place was so special, even without a solid strategy; I walked away with some beautiful images.

Gambel's Quail

@ Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio, New Mexico

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The morning that I captured this image was one of my favorite experiences of 2016. Wishing all of my Flickr friends a safe, healthy, and Happy New Year!

This image was digiscoped using manual focus at 1/60s and has not been adjusted in any way other than noise reduction. Being engulfed by a sky that color that was filled by birds was a truly magical experience.

EXPLORE # 459-- It has taken me over 2.5 years to get in a scenario where I could get close enough to one of these ducks for a decent close up. Everywhere inthe U.S. that I have traveled, these ducks are skittish as can be and swim or fly away immediately at the sight of a human!!!!

Even here, I shot from my car through the window. Even at the refuge, one has to stay INSIDE your vehicle if you don't want to scare the waterfowl away!!!!

Also, you have to wait until the light reflects "just right" to get those colors to reflect off the duck's feathers. Otherwise, they just look black!!!!

Across America's heartland, sandhill cranes are now migrating from their southern winter hideaways to their northern breeding grounds. Along the way, they will stop over at marshlands and rivers for rest and food, as they have done for millions of years. They attract large numbers of wildlife enthusiasts, birders, and conservationists. Echoes of their haunting calls have rung out across this land for eons before mankind even walked on two legs. They have earned the right to be here. Their almost reflex interactions inspire intrigue. At times they even dance alone, as if celebrating their own existence and the beauty of the coming seasons. They are a joyous celebration of a wondrous, yet fragile life. We can only imagine what "a sandhill sees." #iloveNature #iLoveWildlife #WildlifePhotography in #NewMexico #Nature in #America #BosquedelApacheNWR #SandhillCranes #DrDADBooks #Canon #ASandhillSees #PIckYourPark #Photography #Picoftheday #Photooftheday #WildlifeConservation

I really liked the morning light on the mountains and on the Sandhill Cranes.

Taken at Bosque del Apache NWR in New Mexico.

View Large and On Black

I am just now culling the rest of the video I shot last November at Bosque. When I saw this clip of the sun reaching the cranes and geese at "the crane pond," I thought it would make a great timelapse. No sound, no frills, just a quick little share of this special place. Shot in 4K using a legacy Nikon 105mm on the GH4.

If you enjoyed this and would like to see it in 4K, you can select that option on YouTube, although it will take a while to load and still doesn't look as good as watching it on my laptop: www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAKxbqf7RIk

Snow Geese take flight with the Chupadera Wildnerness as a background. Photographed at Bosque del Apache NWR in New Mexico.

The moment of take off of thousands of snow geese is thundering, and heart-stopping. A wonderful experience, for sure! Bosque del Apache NWR, NM.

Cattle Egret, Breeding Plumage

Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, NM

Guess I've been in an Egret mood.

Snow Day at the Bosque. @Bosque Del Apache NWR

I'm back in the land of enchantment but for a different reason this time. I am attending the Association of Partners for Public Lands conference. I've met an incredible number of kind, caring, and dedicated people. I hope to have my books in our national parks this coming season. The trade show opens today. It should be fun.

Though almost all of the sandhill cranes in this region have already begun their trek back north, cold temperatures will again grip large portions of the US. In this photo sandhill cranes fly at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge during an early winter snowstorm.

Remember to support our #NationalParksS! #APPLcon2014

Back to the archives and a place that I will always love. Few placed can match the light, color, and contour of Bosque del Apache, NWR. Photographing light geese and sandhill cranes in winter can be so pleasing. In particular, I love slowing down the shutter to 1/40th of a second and watching Monet-like palettes appear. A lack of definition and a blend of colors blur the lines between objects and color the world in fantasy. #SnowGeese

This was taken well into the chase. If you view 'large,' I believe you can see the goose in the back saying something threatening to the middle goose. It wasn't long after this that they finally landed and the terrible fight took place.

EXPLORE # 361--VIEW LARGE -- As you can see, the 'flying birds' photo opportunities were simply magnificent!!!

I LOVE the pattern of all those feathers of the wings. God's design of these creatures is just awe inspiring!!!!!

IN THE HOUSE AT BOSQUE

Sandhill Cranes (Antigone canadensis) family group. Two adults with their juvenile. Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. Socorro Co., New Mexico.

Bosque del Apache NWR, New Mexico-1642

Thousands of snow & Ross's geese crowd the ponds at the Wildlife Refuge every morning before flying off to feed on the corn planted by refuge managers each season. Behind is the desert scrubland rising to the the stark Chupadera Mountains.

Claret-cup cactus bloom photographed at Bosque del Apache NWR in New Mexico.

jan 12 20-n-2631 Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis) at south pond at Bosque del Apache NWR

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Three mule deer pause on a cold December morning at Bosque del Apache NWR in New Mexico.