Sandhill Crane – Bosque del Apache NWR; San Antonio, New Mexico: Just south of San Antonio, New Mexico lay the “Woods of the Apache,” a refuge that borders the Rio Grand a few hundred miles north of where it turns east and eventually forms the boarder of the United States and Mexico.
Along this section of the river, shallow water impoundments have been built to form a wildlife refuge that host more than fifty-thousand snow geese and thirty-thousand sandhill cranes. Both the geese and sandhill cranes nest in Northern Canada then fly south to warmer climes for winter. The refuge also is home to thousands of ducks, Canada and Ross Geese as well as numerous species of passerines.
This photo was taken along the wildlife drive at Bosque as a crane took its respite from feeding on the corn that had been planted and left in the fields for the birds. The U.S. wildlife refuge system has a cooperative program for renting refuge land to local farmers who in tern leave a portion of the crop in the field for the wildlife. A system, which has worked quite well, for the farmer, wildlife system, and birds.
Nikon F5, Nikkor 500mm f4, Ektachrome 100
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