We arrived well after sunrise on the first day, but we were there in time to see some of the cranes taking off from a roost area north of the refuge entrance.

Jan on the berm between the road and the marshy roosting area

Looking west over the roosting area; few cranes remain

Male Northern Shoveler. The weather was cold enough to produce an icy cover on the marshy roost area

Two Sandhill Cranes leaving their night time roost area

Per Bill D: lightly marked bib (upper breast) indicates juvenile, light morph Western Red-tailed Hawk, rather than juvenile Harris's Hawk (bib is dark on the HAHA). The other underpart markings, including the bars on the lower part, are consistent with light morph RTHA.

After leaving the roost area, we continued to the Visitor Center where I spotted this Green-tailed Towhee scratching in the sand next to a scrubby bush.

Green-tailed Towhee near the Visitor Center at Bosque del Apache NWR

Green-tailed Towhee

Immature White-crowned Sparrow near Visitor Center

White-winged Dove

Cottontail Rabbit

Immature White-crowned Sparrow

Immature White-crowned Sparrow

Common Raven

Gambel's Quail near Visitor Center

Gambel's Quail

Gambel's Quail

Gambel's Quail

Adult White-crowned Sparrow

Green-tailed Towhee

Green-tailed Towhee

Green-tailed Towhee

Green-tailed Towhee

Green-tailed Towhee

After leaving the Visitor Center, we took the South Loop around the refuge and stopped at this bridge that led to a pond.

Two Western Grebes were swimming and diving on the far side of the pond.

Western Grebes

Western Grebes

A Ruby-crowned Kinglet popped up in the trees around the pond.

Female and male Hooded Mergansers on the pond

Female and male Hooded Mergansers

We took a side spur off the main road and found some Eastern Bluebirds perching in a cottonwood tree.

Eastern Bluebird with "orange" throat

Eastern Bluebird

Say's Phoebe

Say's Phoebe

Eastern Bluebird

A canal ran along one side of the Southern Loop and extended along the Northern loop too.

The park rangers had chosen this day to conduct a controlled burn across part of the lands encompassed in the Northern Loop.

Going up one side of the Northern Loop, we came across this young Mule Deer buck.

Mule Deer

Black tail tip on a stag Mule Deer

The smoke from the controlled burn was quite thick, but was blowing away from us.

Plume of smoke from the controlled burn.

Fire and smoke from the controlled burn

False 'eyes' on the back of the head of an American Kestrel

American Kestrel

American Kestrel

American Kestrel

Northern Pintails in flight

On the north side of the North Loop, we stopped to photograph the Sandhill Cranes in the fields.

Jan photographing cranes

Jan checking her photos

Jan on the North Loop at Bosque del Apache NWA, NM, waiting for the next great shot

Jan photographing birds

The Sandhill Cranes seemed to know the female Northern Harrier had no interest in them.

Female Northern Harrier perched at the edge of a field

Sandhill Crane and Northern Harrier

Sandhill Crane in flight

Closer look at Sandhill Crane in flight

Two cranes landing in a field

Cranes coming in for a landing

Cranes in the field

A little crane squabble

More cranes in flight

Male Northern Harrier floating over the field

Male Northern Harrier scanning a field for prey

Male Northern Harrier

Male Northern Harrier

Savannah Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow

First one turkey trotted across the road in front of us...

This one turned away from us and headed out into the field...

...but stopped to give us one last look.

A Bald Eagle and Common Raven stood out in a field with Sandhill Cranes in the background.

Bald Eagle, Common Ravens and Sandhill Cranes

The Bald Eagle takes flight

Bald Eagle in flight

Sandhill Cranes

Sandhill Crane

Sandhill Cranes feeding in a newly mowed field

A squabble among the cranes

Sandhill Cranes

Sandhill Cranes at odds

Sandhill Crane altercation

Sandhill Cranes continuing dispute

Sandhill Cranes

The cranes congregated on the newly-mowed grain fields.

As we drove past the cranes, Mary spotted a Greater Roadrunner at the side of the road, but it quickly ran into the underbrush before we could get closer for a better photo.

As we looked back across the road, more cranes continued to fly in to feed.

We found a Lincoln's Sparrow in the grasses along the side of the road.

White-crowned Sparrow looking back over its shoulder at us

Around a corner where the North Loop turns back to the south, a marsh held dozens of Mallards

Mallards lifting out of the grasses in front of the marsh; they were almost invisible in the grass.

Sandhill Cranes and Mallards in a marsh at Bosque del Apache NWR

Marsh at Bosque del Apache NWR

Another American Kestrel perched over the road

American Crow

American Crow

Shiny feathers of American Crow

Female Great-tailed Grackle bathing and preening

Female Great-tailed Grackle

Female Great-tailed Grackle

Another flush of Mallards with more sticking their heads up out of the grass

Closer look at Mallards in flight with Sandhill Cranes in the background

Dark buteo hawk in a tree at the side of the road. He never turned around to give us a better look.

As we drove farther south toward the end of the North Loop, we came up to the lake where hundreds of Snow Geese were circling overhead.

Close-up of Snow Goose flying over our heads

Snow Goose in flight

Hundreds of Snow Geese in flight

Snow Geese

Snow Geese overhead

Layers of Snow Geese

Snow Geese soared back and forth

Snow Geese

Criss-crossing Snow Geese

Jan got close to the shore to get a photo of geese on the lake.

Taking a photo of Mary taking a photo of Jan taking a photo of geese

Two-camera Jan

Jan and Mary focus on the geese on the lake.

Jan takes of photo of me taking a photo of her and Mary.

Mary and Jan bundled up for the sunny, but cool day

Mary and Jan having fun at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, NM

A few of the Snow Geese had darker markings.

Are those geese in the water giving the directions to the one in the air?

Landing Snow Goose

Snow Goose landing

Another landing Snow Goose

And another

Snow Goose with flaps down

There may be a couple of shorter-billed Ross's Geese in this group.

Geese alighting on a lake at Bosque del Apache NWR

Geese coming to the lake

Another goose landing on the lake

Snow Geese and a couple of Ross's Geese in the lower left

Soft landing

Snow Goose landing

Mass of Snow Geese taking off from the lake at Bosque del Apache NWR

More geese swirling overhead

Snow Geese in flight

Patterns of Snow Geese in flight

Steve points his camera to the sky

Snow Geese in flight

More Snow Geese in flight

Snow Geese in flight high overhead

Hundreds of Snow Geese in flight

V-formation

Layers of Snow Geese in flight going opposite directions

Are they forming a shark up there?

Jan takes another shot.

More Snow Geese in flight

Snow Geese in flight

Snow Geese in flight

Snow Geese in flight against a deep blue sky

Back down on the lake

Near the end of the loop we found a few Green-winged Teal.

These look like Redheads, three males and a female.

We stopped for lunch at the Owl Bar and Cafe, a place my uncle Wayne had told us about; he recommended the cheeseburgers; he used to stop here on his southern trucking route.

Night time photo of the Owl Bar and Cafe sign

The Owl had been there many years and was filled with all sorts of memorabilia.

The Owl owners collect the dollar bills customers tack on the walls of their booths and give the money to charities.

A look at the bar at the Owl Bar and Cafe, San Antonio, NM

Interior of Owl Bar and Cafe

After lunch we went back to this marshy area north of the refuge entrance where the Sandhill Cranes came to roost for the evening.

The first cranes that flew in from the fields to roost landed far away from the road at the back of the marsh.

A few more Sandhill Cranes coming to roost at the marsh north of the refuge entrance.

Sandhill Cranes roosting

Sandhill Cranes

There is a parking lot next to the marsh, which is next to the highway. Photographers stood or sat with their equipment lined up on the berm at the edge of the marsh. Jan got a front row seat.

And Steve decided to try a tripod with his camera.

Jan had a camera on a tripod as well as a handheld one.

Steve and Jan waiting for the next group of cranes to fly in to roost

Steve took a break and went down the road to the refuge Visitor Center and found some House Finches in a tree in the parking lot.

Male House Finch

Male House Finch at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, NM

House Finch

House Finch

House Finches

An interesting snag

Snag

Snag

Across the highway from the Visitor Center, this Say's Phoebe perched on a twig.

Say's Phoebe

Say's Phoebe profile pose

Say's Phoebe

The Say's Phoebe flew up to a sign post at the edge of the highway to look for insects.

Say's Phoebe looking like it has a crest in the breeze

Say's Phoebe

On the way back to crane roost, I saw this dark buteo on the west side of the highway.

Per Bill D: this bird matches Sibley's adult intermediate morph Western RTHA.

Bill D: The bicolored breast pattern, i.e., a relatively light rufous upper breast and darker lower breast and belly is consistent with RTHA, and the vent and undertail coverts are rufous rather than white.

Bill D: In an adult Harris's Hawk, the undertail coverts and base of the tail should be white and contrast with a wide black terminal band.

Bill D: the dark morph adult Swainson's Hawk should also have white undertail coverts and base of the tail and should contrast with a wide black terminal band

One more of the hawk showing its tail

Back at the marsh, the Sandhill Cranes like this one started coming in to roost in greater numbers.

Some of the cranes seemed to be calling for their friends to join them.

Sandhill Crane landing

Sandhill Crane

Another crane landing

Dropping landing gear

More cranes landing

More wing action

Some of the cranes seemed to be establishing their position in the group after landing.

Sandhill Cranes calling at or with each other?

As the sun began to set, we started seeing some picturesque silhouettes of the cranes in the water.

Sandhill Crane near sunset

Silhouetted Sandhill Crane

Sandhill Crane

Sunset on the marsh

Sunset at the marsh

The cranes continued to arrive, even as the sun was setting.

Cranes settling in for the night

More cranes in the evening sky

Sandhill Crane in the sky

More cranes coming in

Evening sky reflected on the marsh water

The evening sky over Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge

Cranes in the evening sky

More crane silhouettes

Cranes in the sky

Dancing Sandhill Crane

More cranes settling in

Some of the cranes continued to call after sunset.

And the photographers continued their vigil till the last light was gone.

Mary and Jan among the stalwart photographers

Mary bundled against the cold

Jan continued to fire away.

Last light over the marsh

Marsh at sunset

The clouds started showing us some color.

Pink clouds in the sunset

Sunset at Bosque del Apache

Cranes continue to fly in to roost.

After the light was gone, we found a nice restaurant in Socorro to celebrate the day.