I’ve developed1 a small collection of bosque bird photos over the last couple of months, many of which show fall colors. So, before it’s officially winter….
Here’s a trio of sandhill cranes hanging out in the Rio Grande in Albuquerque.2 The center bird’s mostly brown feathers and lack of a red head mark it as a juvenile.
Below, a snow goose flies in front of a yellow cottonwood at Bosque del Apache.3
Next up, a belted kingfisher in Albuquerque. This is not a great photo in any objective sense, but it’s by far the best I’ve ever gotten. Kingfishers are smallish birds that are quite difficult for me to see. Fortunately, they’re extremely talkative, especially while flying. I’ve learned that if I spot them while they’re in the air, I can more or less follow them to where they land. Not that they ever let me get very close; they’re nearly as skittish as raptors.
I’ll close out this email, along with the fall of 2022, with a photo of a male wood duck gliding through one of the Tingley Beach ponds in Albuquerque. The cottonwoods reflected in the pond were at their peak that day.
No pun intended.
Seriously, how many other cities in the US feature migrating birds right in the middle of town?
This could be a Ross’s goose rather than a snow goose. My ability to distinguish one from the other is extremely limited, perhaps nonexistent.
Great pics!
The wood duck's reflection is spectacular, especially against the cottonwoods. Great catch, Lisa!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS to you, (and the journey through Sussex is wonderful :))
judith