Sandhill Crane FLYING OUT OF THE STORM

I mentioned the record-breaking rain that we had during my Best of Bosque workshop in an earlier post. This is the kind of dramatic image that can be made if the sky clears in the Southwest as the sun sets. The sky in the Northeast East was still full of clouds over the Sandia Mountains.

Sandhill Crane Golden Silhouette

As the sun set in the background, we focused on the golden reflection and the magical silhouettes that the Cranes projected. Exposure for these is easy: f/8, 1/5,000s (to freeze movement and get a sharp outline) and ISO 500. Adjust black point, colour temperature and contrast to artistic taste.

American Kestrel in flight

On my way out of Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge for the last time this year, I had an epic encounter with this American Kestrel. So many images and so many poses! WOW, I think my heart stopped a couple of times!

The smallest member of the falcon family in North America is also called a Sparrow Hawk. Studies have shown that kestrels can see ultraviolet light. Researchers believe that this ability to see UV light enables them to vividly see the urine markings and trails that small mammals, such as voles, leave as they run along the ground. These trails and urine markings would likely look bright yellow to a kestrel, therefore alerting them to the presence of a meal.

Northern Harrier in flight

Here is a female Northern Harrier from yesterday (day 4 of my Best of Bosque workshop). We have had some near-epic Northern Harrier encounters so far. My favourite is still the one I posted on Wednesday morning with the cottonwood trees in the background SEE IT HERE.

Unlike many raptors, hen or northern harriers have historically been favourably regarded by farmers because they eat mice that damage crops. Harriers are sometimes called "good hawks" because they pose no threat to poultry as some hawks do.

Sandhill Crane landing

We were lucky to find some fantastic opportunities yesterday during my Best of Bosque workshop in New Mexico. About 50 Cranes flew into this location close enough to get some great images with great backgrounds. This is one of my favourites from the day.

Northern Harrier in flight in nice light

My group had some pretty awesome views of Northern Harriers yesterday. This is a female against autumn Cottonwood tree foliage. Things are starting to dry out after the near record-breaking rain the other day. Bosque del Apache was photographically slow with many Cranes and Geese, but very far from the road. I took the group to another reserve that had just reopened after the rain made the roads too muddy to drive without getting stuck. I have such a great group that I am really excited things are getting back to normal.

Wood Duck in flight in last light

Bosque del Apache was quiet yesterday morning after the near record-breaking rain with loads of birds, but the majority were far from the wet, muddy and messy roads. We regrouped and moved for the afternoon session of my Best of Bosque Workshop and found some ducks to pose for us :)

This is a drake (male) Wood Duck that did a flyby at last light.

Peek-a-boo Sandhill Crane in flight

It was a very different day in Bosque del Apache yesterday after the rain. I invited the new group out to shoot for the afternoon before the workshop starts, but I changed my plans to bring them to another refuge because they had closed with impassable muddy roads. The light was still really dark and the roads were wet and muddy with much less bird activity today. Things should dry out quickly and I expect everyone will make an amazing portfolio of images over the course of the next five days.

Sandhill Crane landing head on

Here is a Sandhill Crane from yesterday morning while scouting for my Best of Bosque workshop. Although the light was dark and overcast, the background and head-on landings made it an epic morning for me. While most are complaining that there are no cornfields near accessible roads, the backgrounds this year are fantastic - far better than chopped cornfields of years gone by :)

Join me at Bosque del Apache NWR next Dec. Learn more HERE

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Join me at Bosque del Apache NWR next Dec. Learn more HERE 🦆

Northern Shoveler Landing

I’ve been scouting for my Best of Bosque workshop and this year is looking like it will be off the charts! Here’s a Northern Shoveler from earlier today while catching up with old friends Doug and Kristin Brown on the side of the pond. Who would have thought my first post of the trip would be a Shoveler? I’ve had some epic opportunities with Geese, Cranes, Harriers and Red-tailed hawks :)

Bald Eagle Calling in light snow

Another Bald Eagle from a magical snowy day during my Eagles Galore workshops in Alaska. I noticed this perch early on and never saw an Eagle land on it for the first few days of my trip. Things improved when it started to gently snow :) ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-ker. You can read more about the Bald Eagle call in my post from September HERE: THE BALD EAGLE CALL.

Bald Eagles Tumbling

Bald Eagles fighting over a fish with locked talons tumbling toward the ground = a heart stopping moment. At first it was the thrill of it happening right in front of us, then it was the fear that they would crash into the ground. The thief got the fish and they both released as they were about to hit the ground….oh, and the photographers got their images - smile.

Learn more about the Eagles Galore Photo Adventure Workshop HERE

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Learn more about the Eagles Galore Photo Adventure Workshop HERE 🦅

Bald Eagle Fishing Tales

Look closely :) A Bald Eagle banking in flight with fresh catch from my Alaska Eagles Galore Workshop in March. Join me for an incredible workshop with more Eagles than you can imagine. Learn more about my March Eagles Galore Workshop in Alaska HERE.

Bald Eagle Call of the Wild

Another Alaskan Eagle from my Eagles Galore Workshop in March. The predawn colours in the sky were an amazing pallet of pastels - and the Eagles were singing their morning chorus. What could be better?

Bald Eagle Silhouette

A Bald Eagle in silhouette at the top of its dive during my Bald Eagles Galore workshop in Alaska.

Juvenile American Bald Eagle with fish in light snow

A juvenile Bald Eagle with a fresh catch in light snow from my Eagles Galore Workshop in March. Another instance when I reached for the Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 G Master OSS Lens and used it wide open at f/2.8: I just love the different sizes of the out-of-focus snowflakes this creates.

Bald Eagle banking in light snow

Bald eagles are amazing flyers and their aerial acrobatics are simply amazing; the air passing through their feathers when they dive sounds like a jet engine. This Eagle was photographed during my Eagles Galore Workshop using my Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 G Master OSS Lens at its maximum aperture to render the dark cliffs in the background as out-of-focus as possible to make the bird and the snowflakes pop.

Bald Eagle in blizzard

The excitement is always off-the-charts during my Eagles Galore workshop when we are out with the Eagles and it snows. I had our captain head straight to my favourite spot with dark cliffs to emphasize the snowflakes and I chose an aperture of f/2.8 to render the dark cliff in the background out of focus to make the Eagle pop.

Bald Eagles Grand Theft

Here are a couple of Bald Eagles fighting over a fish. You can see the frame before this image in a previous post: https://www.naturephotographyblog.com/blog/bald-eagles-fighting-over-fish.

Despite its fierce appearance, the bald eagle is a rather timid hunter. Usually found near water, it feeds mainly on fish, which it often steals from ospreys or other Eagles - smile.

Bald Eagle with breakfast

Here is a Bald Eagle with its fresh breakfast captured at first light on Kachemak Bay (near Homer), Alaska. I love the intensity of the stare! Captured with a Sony alpha 1 camera using bird-eye auto-focus and a Sony 600mm f/4 lens with a Sony 1.4 X Teleconverter. Join me in Alaska for my annual Bald Eagles Galore Workshop in March. There will be plenty of opportunities to make images of fishing Eagles - smile. Learn more HERE.