Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Bird Photography Weekly # 21

One of the most fun things I look forward to each year is my vacation in New Mexico. And it always includes the Festival of the Cranes at the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. It's always held the week before Thanksgiving, and the attendance has been increasing every year. Appropriate for this Bird Photography Weekly # 21, I present to you some of my best photos of sandhill cranes taken during the 21st anniversary of the Festival of the Cranes. Be sure to click on any or all of the photos to see a larger image.


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14 comments:

Ruth's Photo Blog said...

Beautiful pictures.These are awesome looking birds.
Blessings,Ruth

Anonymous said...

Great photos, Mary. They are majestic-looking birds, aren't they?

Amy said...

Great photos! I always get so excited to see cranes. I've only had a chance to see them a few times. Hopefully someday I can make it to the Festival of the Cranes, it sounds great!

Anonymous said...

Wow, Mary, you get to go there every year? How wonderful to have that to look forward to all the time. Your pictures are terrific. I can even see the red on their heads.

Go Pittsburgh Steelers!

Heidi said...

That is appropriate... 21st anniversary, 21st BPW :) Good job!

Anonymous said...

One of these days I hope to get out there and see these guys! I have heard how wonderful of a trip it is!

mick said...

Those are great photos of very interesting birds. The number of birds in that first photo is amazing!

Mary said...

What a fantastic bird! You did good, Mary.

Mary C said...

RuthH - thank you. They really are awesome when flying in great numbers.

Wren - thank you. They definitely are majestic looking birds.

Amy - you sound so much like me. I also get excited when I see them. And I sure hope you and everyone else will get an opportunity just once to visit the Bosque during the Festival of the Cranes. You won't regret it.

Linda - yes, I have been attending the festival since 2003 and only missed one year (2005). It's my one big "excuse" to get back to New Mexico on a yearly basis. I may love living here in California, but I also love New Mexico. I'm glad you could see the red on their heads in my photo(s). Hey, Pittsburgh Steelers are going to the Super Bowl! And presently, the San Jose Sharks are first in the NHL in points. Go Sharks! ;o)

Hey, Red - wasn't that cool that I managed to post the cranes in the 21st BPW and the photos were taken during the 21st anniversary of the festival?

Monarch - hey, it's good to hear from you! I sure hope you'll take the opportunity to visit the Bosque someday. You'll find so much to see and do.

Mick - thank you. I have other photos that I didn't post that show many more sandhill cranes feeding in the fields. But I wanted to provide better close-ups for this post. Thanks for visiting and commenting.

Mary - thank you! I hope someday you'll get the chance to see some sandhill cranes. They are just as fascinating as great blue herons and great egrets.

Neil said...

Interesting birds great photos.

Mary C said...

Neil - thanks for visiting and commenting. Do you ever have the chance to see any type of cranes there in Australia?

Shelley said...

I love the crane photos - and I think they picked some good settings for you to follow them and capture the moment!

RuthieJ said...

I really like the sandhill cranes! I hope to get to that festival someday too.

Mary C said...

Shelley and Ruthie - thank you!

And I really hope everyone will get the chance to visit the Bosque del Apache some day.

 

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