Stealth Crane
Cranes flying over the bosque along the Rio Grande.
Category: Sandhill Cranes
October Owls
Daddy Owl was in the bosque.
The owls were out hooting back and forth to each other at twilight.
He flew onto the trunk of a cottonwood before flying over to cottonwoods by the clearwater ditch
Mama Owl was on the tip-top of Mia’s Tree.
Getting a good hoot in. I pushed this photo 2 stops to get a little bit of detail.
Otherwise, Mama Owl was a silhouette.
Cranes and Canadian Geese flew by Mama Owl on their way to roost.
Ca Ca Ca Cranes
The Sandhill Cranes are flying in for the winter. We are seeing large echelons of cranes flying along the Rio Grande. It seems like they are arriving early this year. Since the Balloon Feasta was canceled, it’s nice to see the cranes flying overhead.
Cranes coming into roost on the river well after sundown.
Cranes through the Tangle Heart Tree.
Firsts, Cats, Close to Lasts
Cranes’ Law
Cranes’ Law: Cranes will double in number every few minutes from 2 to 4 to 8 and then there will be a crowd of cranes in the shallows.
If you take a left past Holly’s Tangle-Heart Tree, followed by a few hops, a dozen skips and a great big jump, you will be on the west bank of Rio Grande where, especially at sunset, you will see a magical view of the Sandias with the river flowing by in the foreground. In the shallows of the river, this time of year, you will see Sandhill Cranes. There were two cranes in the shallows when made the final jump as the sun slipped behind the horizon. I photographed cranes circling and landing south of me, and the last of the red blaze on the Sandias. I turned to look at what the two carnes were doing and there were four cranes. A few minutes later more cranes flew in, then more flew in until there was a crowd of cranes in standing in front of me in the shallows of the river.
Six, Seven
Twelve
As many as 28.
Sparing match.
Swan Dive
Birds of the Day
Birds that flew overhead when I walked out to the river and back this afternoon.
Cold & Cranes
The temperature never rose above freezing today. I walked out to Beaver Point right before sunset, and a group of cranes were hanging out in the Rio Grande, wading around fluffed up to keep warm. There was a lone Canadian goose hanging with the cranes, and a duck floated by and then took off.
Touches of Gray
Sunset & Hawk
Below is a Red-Tailed Hawk that was in an apple tree in Wagner’s orchard nextdoor. The first two photos were taken this morning, and remaining photos where taken this evening after sunset. The mud had dried a little in the evening, so I walked across the field to get closer photos. The hawk flew which allowed me to get backlit photos of it flying.
Off Center & Not Even 