Sandhill cranes in evening light        Images © Mark A. Chappell



These sandhill cranes were roosting (or preparing to roost) in one of the three 'crane pools' along the highway in Bosque del Apache wildlife refuge.   I took the pictures as the sun set, and some low clouds added color to the scene.   For some images, I used a flash to provide some light to the backlit birds.

  • Canon 1D Mk. II, 500 mm IS lens plus 1.4X or 2X converter, electronic flash for fill-in on some photos (2005)