Bosque del Apache NWR

Photographers flock to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge during late fall and early winter to photograph Sandhill Cranes and other migrating birds such as Snow Geese. The spectacle of thousands of geese blasting off simultaneously during a flyout and capturing birds flying in to roost for the evening is awe-inspiring both visually and aurally. 

This was my second November visit to Bosque and with just four days the trip was all too short as every day unfolds with unpredictable conditions. The flight patterns were somewhat erratic for early morning flyouts and bird counts unusually low, especially for cranes. Still, the few days I had to photograph life in this wetland were memorable.

Snow geese and Ross' geese flyout from the Coyote Deck pond on a gray morning.

At the end of the day cranes flyin to roost in the wetland ponds protected from night predators.

More of my Bosque del Apache photos can be viewed in my website Photos galleries and my Flickr Albums.