Air 2s Between Heaven and Earth

[DanJ]

Minutes before this was taken I watched as thousands of Snow Geese from the Arctic, migrating to the Gulf of Mexico touched down in a field to feed.
Sunrise on a late October morning in Alberta, Canada.

 

[Cymruflyer]

Gorgeous photo.

 

[CorralesDan]

Minutes before this was taken I watched as thousands of Snow Geese from the Arctic, migrating to the Gulf of Mexico touched down in a field to feed.
Sunrise on a late October morning in Alberta, Canada.
View attachment 156232

Nice. Some of your snow geese may winter in the Bosque del Apache preserve that's south of Albuquerque. It's not uncommon to see a thousand or more.

 

[DanJ]

Nice. Some of your snow geese may winter in the Bosque del Apache preserve that's south of Albuquerque. It's not uncommon to see a thousand or more.

It's always a wonder to see snow geese migrating.
The most memorable time was one night photographing the aurora borealis in a river valley that had a low fog.
Overhead could be heard the sounds of hundreds or thousands of geese making their way south.

As to the kind of geese? One can only guess because they could not be seen in the darkness but imagine what the geese were seeing, stars and aurora overhead and foggy landscape below. Magical.

 

[CorralesDan]

It's always a wonder to see snow geese migrating.
The most memorable time was one night photographing the aurora borealis in a river valley that had a low fog.
Overhead could be heard the sounds of hundreds or thousands of geese making their way south.

As to the kind of geese? One can only guess because they could not be seen in the darkness but imagine what the geese were seeing, stars and aurora overhead and foggy landscape below. Magical.

We also get thousands of Sandhill Cranes that come from up in your area somewhere. Several dozen spend the winter in our little village of Corrales, New Mexico.

 

[Dale D]

Minutes before this was taken I watched as thousands of Snow Geese from the Arctic, migrating to the Gulf of Mexico touched down in a field to feed.
Sunrise on a late October morning in Alberta, Canada.
View attachment 156232

I can feel the winter coming from this image!

 

[twickers14]

You guys are very lucky with your bird migration. The best place I have been to for migration experiences over the pond is Cyprus.

 

[Dale D]

I can feel the winter coming from this image!

If you are ever in the US and really want to see the best migration phenomenon, travel to the Bosque del Apache in Southern New Mexico to see the snow geese and the sand hill cranes. Brine a fast and long lens These are taken with a hand held 500mm Nikkor f/4 taken at dawn and about 20 degrees F. with frozen fingers.

 

[DanJ]

We also get thousands of Sandhill Cranes that come from up in your area somewhere. Several dozen spend the winter in our little village of Corrales, New Mexico.

Sandhill cranes pass through Alberta but I don't know where they nest. Northern Alberta?

 

[DanJ]

You guys are very lucky with your bird migration. The best place I have been to for migration experiences over the pond is Cyprus.

We are lucky.
Skeins of geese migrating north in the spring signal the end of winter just as thousands migrating south in autumn signal the start to a very long winter here.

 

[Dbez1]

If you are ever in the US and really want to see the best migration phenomenon, travel to the Bosque del Apache in Southern New Mexico to see the snow geese and the sand hill cranes. Brine a fast and long lens These are taken with a hand held 500mm Nikkor f/4 taken at dawn and about 20 degrees F. with frozen fingers.

Very, very nicely done Dale. I hope the fingers thaw out soon so we can see some more photos.

 

[Dale D]

Very, very nicely done Dale. I hope the fingers thaw out soon so we can see some more photos.

My fingers have thawed long ago.

I literally have dozens of similar images. These birds congregate around the marshes near the town of San Antonio, New Mexico in the park called Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Center. Fly to Albuquerque, rent a car, drive to Asan Antonio. You can stay in some Air B and Bs there and get up before dawn and wait for the Sand Hill Cranes to land, and at some uncertain moment or signal, thousands of Snow geese explode off the water to the fields for the grains -see the photo. It is a phenomenon you will never forget. This occurs at or near sunrise. You can rent a long lens like a 500f/4 mm or 600 mm f/4 (I prefer 500 for hand holding and panning the birds).

Dale
Miami