Immature (left) and adult (right) Sandhill Cranes
We usually spot Bald Eagles around the refuge.
We finally saw this adult far out in the Flight Deck Pond.
This strong dust devil crossed the refuge road right in front of us.
We came upon another "squadron" of Javelina.
This time we spotted a mother Javelina with two very young babies.
Snow Geese feeding in a field
This Hooded Merganser was having trouble swallowing a fish
Lots of male Red-winged Blackbirds in this flock
Crane feeding in the corn
Not the prettiest landing, but it works
More Snow Geese in flight
Another huge flock of blackbirds, possibly startled by a raptor
We were amazed at how tolerant the birds seemed having a coyote close by.
We came across a large "squadron" of a couple dozen Javelina (aka
Collared Peccary)
Another sunset crane image
This coyote's coloration is well suited to this environment.
We usually see Great Blue Herons.
A pair of cranes
Snow Geese flying over
A large and dense flock of blackbirds
Cranes in late afternoon light
Salt Cedar (also called Tamarisk) is an invasive plant problem along the Rio Grande River, including within the refuge. It has been an ongoing project to try to eradicate it as much as possible inside the refuge to encourage the growth of native plant communities.
We usually see Northern Harriers hunting at the refuge, but their flight habits make it difficult to get good photo opportunities.
A Mule Deer doe resting under the trees
Telephoto compression makes this look like a "duck-eating crane"
"Bird-on-a-stick" (Say's Phoebe)
Western Grebe
Cranes flying in late afternoon light
Cranes returning to the Flight Deck Pond for the night
We spent Thanksgiving week based in Socorro, New Mexico, so that we could spend some time visiting the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. Bosque del Apache is one of our favorite fall/winter wildlife watching/photography locations.
Sandhill Cranes feeding amid the wonderful tones of the New Mexico fall color
Often a flock of geese (properly called a gaggle) will suddenly all launch for no obvious reason. This time we spotted a coyote as a likely cause.
Sandhill Cranes preen by rubbing mud in their feathers. Minerals in the mud will often leave stains in their plumage, sometimes with pretty results.
"Looking over the menu"
An "explosion" of ducks, geese and cranes
An immature light Snow Goose
Cranes returning to the Flight Deck Pond for the night
We spent a few days in central New Mexico to visit the Bernardo Wildlife Management Area. This is another managed area along the Rio Grande River which provides feed and habitat for wintering birds, especially Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese. Bernardo WMA is about 45 miles north of the more well known Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.
