Last December, I visited Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge to photograph Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese. Thousands of both species overwinter in this area of New Mexico. I have made this trip twice before, I believe in 1999 and 2004. That was in the day of slide film. I have been wanting to return with digital camera gear. Since I had been there before, I knew what to expect, or so I thought. I spent my first day driving around the usual spots in the refuge thinking, "where are the birds?" Very few cranes. I ran into a fellow Kansan who gave me the inside scoop. He thought the cranes were probably fifty miles north at Bernardo Waterfowl Management Area. He was right. So, I split my time each day between the two locations photographing Snow Geese at Bosque and Cranes at Bernardo. All photos in this first gallery were taken at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.
© Thane Rogers Photography
