Sandhill Cranes of Bosque del Apache - December 2016
Sandhill Silhouette
Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis) foraging at dusk. Cranes are omnivorous consuming grains, seeds, berries, corn, insects, amphibians, reptiles, varied invertebrates and even small mammals.
sandhill cranegrus canadensisbosque del apachenew mexicobirdwildlifesilhouette
From BIRDS
Exodus
Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) remain calm as thousands of Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens) erupt to flight. I used a shutter speed of 1/15 second to intentionally blur the motion and emphasize the chaos and intensity of the moment.
snow geesechen caurulescenssandhill cranesgrus canadensisbirdsbosque del apachenew mexico
From BIRDS
Walking on Thin Ice
Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) negotiate thin ice as they move to a more suitable take off venue. Cranes are able to gain the momentum necessary for lift off when they move across open water. During my visit to Bosque, it became evident that lifting off from thin ice was not an option. I did observe them taking off on solid ice which was rather comical because they would often slip and slide their way across the ice in a failed attempt to fly.
Flight Consideration
Once a Crane or two move to a suitable area for taking off, the entire flock slowly follows and gathers on the "runway" prior to flight. Each morning, the Cranes make their way to these pre-flight staging areas; they line up and wait their turn like jets on a runway at a busy airport.
Silhouette Dancer
At sunrise, a Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis) dances across the water in anticipation to fly. Although large and heavy, Cranes are surprisingly elegant and nimble.
sandhill cranegrus canadensisbosque del apachenew mexicobirdwildlifesilhouette
From BIRDS