Aug. 30, 2006 - Sand Hill Cranes, Bosque del Apache NWR

Canon 5D, 70 - 200 mm f/2.8 IS, 2X Teleconverter, @400 mm, 5/5.6, 1/2500 sec., ISO 400, Feb. 2006

We went to Bosque del Apache in New Mexico to see the Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes. While the geese can be interesting, the cranes are, in my opinion, the stars of the show. Watching these huge birds go through their daily rituals was fascinating. Each morning I would arrive at the pools in which they'd spent the night and photograph them as they took off in small groups to begin the day's feeding. Looking at images like this, I can still hear the beating of their giant wings as they slowly gained altitude.