For the second year in a row we were at the Bosque del Apache NWP just the week before their Festival of the Cranes, an event that attracts birders and photographers from all over the US.  From my point of view it’s not the ideal time to visit as there are a lot more people at the preserve and in preparation for the festival there are activities that are disruptive to both wildlife and photography.  But I make the most of the situation.

The photographers are almost ludicrous!  In the early morning there are scores lined up along bodies of water taking photos of the Sandhill cranes flying off to feed in the farm fields.  The next time I go I need to take some photos of the photographers.  Almost all of them have lenses that put mine to shame, and many are toting large camera bags and tripods to boot.

There are two main ways to shoot the cranes at the fly-off in the morning.  If you get a colorful sunrise you shoot silhouettes of the cranes against the sky.  After the sun comes up you try to shoot in the other direction (if there are any cranes left), with the morning sun shining on the cranes.  This usually results in a rapid repositioning of the photographers for the shots.

Here are some of my photos of the Sandhill cranes...

Switching directions (as outlined above), here is a photo of the cranes with the early morning sun on them…

In addition to the cranes, there are thousands of ducks and geese on the preserve.  Here is a pre sunrise photo of a Northern pintail taking off.

After sunup come the daily mop-up operations… touring the preserve and surrounding areas looking for photographic opportunities… such as the Ladder-backed woodpecker…

this meadowlark NOT sitting on a wire or fencepost (!)… and

this American coot working one of the irrigation canals.

Earlier in November I took a birding trip to the Bosque del Apache NWR which is located about an hour and a half south of Albuquerque, NM.  It’s one of my favorite birding areas and at this time of year features thousands of Snow geese and Sandhill cranes along with many other birds.  I was a little disappointed in the photographic opportunities this year but I really shouldn’t complain.

We saw at least seven or eight Greater roadrunners in the refuge…

The last stretch of road into the preserve travels through farmland with lots of meadowlarks both on the ground and on the fences.

I managed to catch this American kestrel at just the moment before it flew.

I believe that we saw this same American kestrel on the same fencepost on all three days we visited the preserve.

Sandhill cranes returning to spend the night in farm fields.  Many of the farm fields on the refuge are flooded, and the waterfowl and shorebirds spend the night in the water because the water provides early warning of coyotes and other predators that might compromise their safety during the night.

On Sunday, November 1, 2015 I set out in the hopes that the Long-billed curlew might again be in the fresh-water pond near the Northern Lights Casino.  On the way there, on West March Point Road, I found the curlew in the middle of the road.  The only other vehicle I encountered on the drive overtook me and spooked the curlew, and it appeared to fly behind the fence surrounding the refinery.

However I made the most of the trip, photographing this Orange-crowned warbler along the way…

I also obtained several interesting photos of Black turnstones feeding in adverse conditions, moving onto and around logs that were being moved by the wind and waves.

And what can offer keener sight than a pair of Bald eagles eyes?  Two pairs of eagle eyes!

In the rain and wind, and at high tide on Saturday morning a friend and I decided to tour March Point to look for interesting shorebirds or waterfowl.  We had seen a Long-billed curlew in the area earlier in the week and hoped that it might be back.  In that respect we were disappointed, but we found a group of three Black turnstones working in the eelgrass that had washed up on the shore.

We continued off of March Point to the Northern Lights area of the Swinomish Reservation and there, in a parking lot, found our lost Long-billed curlew!  We were ecstatic!  We watched the curlew wander around an asphalt parking area for about ten minutes before flushing when a group of gulls flew by.  We lost it for awhile but then were surprised to see it bathing in a fresh water pond almost beside us.  We called the leader of the morning’s Skagit Audubon filed trip and he brought the group over to the casino area and we were all able to view the bird for a considerable time.  I wasn’t nearly as close as when I took the photos earlier in the week on March Point, but the bird was much more active while bathing.  I took 97 photos of the curlew and saved 30… it was very difficult disposing of  the photos.

This is an almost unbelievablely beautiful bird, especially in some of its dynamic poses.  The curlew finally got spooked again and didn’t immediately return to the pond, so we called it quits for the morning.

Before I get back to the yard I want to mention a quick, raptor count at 55mph in drizzle and declining light.  Late (with regard to available light) Monday afternoon my wife and I were returning from Costco and we decided to count raptors on the way home.  We began with the one often perched above the I-5 overpass and were up to nine by the time we reached the Memorial Highway intersection.  By the Swinomish Bridge our tally stood at 13, all presumably Red-tailed hawks.  They’re back!

I’ve ignored the yard from a photography standpoint for the past couple of weeks in favor of expeditions to nearby areas, chiefly March Point.  On Monday, October 26, 2015, I decided to spend some time in the yard… some of the results appear below…

First up, a male Anna’s hummingbird that will presumably be spending the winter with us.  We also have at least one female around the yard.

This is the first Fox sparrow we’ve seen in the yard this season.  We usually only have one, so this is it.

This (apparently) female Ruby-crowned kinglet is a welcome winter visitor.  They were absent all summer but have now returned.  We usually have more Golden-crowned kinglets but I didn’t see a single one Tuesday.

We had quite a few American robins around the yard but little group use of the watercourse until after I had left the yard.

Here’s a handsome male House sparrow which would be a lot more welcome if they weren’t so gregarious.

As in…

And finally, a photo of the bird that perhaps photographs better than all the rest… a Dark-eyed junco of the Oregon race.  The feather detail is absolutely amazing!  For about the eighth or ninth year in a row we also have one of the Slate-colored race, and it made a brief appearance during the day.