December at a Desert Oasis

December 22nd, 2009

Four of us were at the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico in early December to photograph wintering waterfowl, sandhill cranes, ducks and resident mammals.  During our three days of photography, we saw some snow, some clouds and a day and a half of bright sunshine.  There were many chances to work on flying birds, especially in the early morning and sunset hours as birds left and returned to roosting areas.   In the mid-day hours, we saw coyotes, roadrunners, great horned owls, finches, ducks, crows, bald eagles, hawks…MORE

Photographs of sandhill cranes landing in formation are difficult to get, but it’s really cool when they drift in with landing gears down.