Again, some old pictures taken on a crane survey with a decent camera.
My penultimate crane survey, all the way down at Arrey-Derry. Shane was with me this time, and we made sure to get lunch at Sparky’s in Hatch before driving home.
The fours hours on Wednesday afternoon/evening were fairly uneventful, though we had nice looks at several raptors: Sharp-shinned Hawk, the ubiquitous Northern Harriers, a Ferruginous Hawk, a Prairie Falcon, and a Peregrine Falcon. Only 120 Sandhill Cranes flew overhead back to their roosting spots, a sure sign that migration was over. The reliable Belted Kingfisher fished from his usual perch. A flock of American Pipits circled the site, sometimes landing in the field to feed.
American Pipits
Dinner!
Look what I got!
The sunset that evening was the best I recall there. Numerous clouds made for a gorgeous sky.
The morning began with the usual Great Horned Owls calling from the nearby cliffs. The highlight of the morning was the single Chestnut-collared Longspur (Sierra bird #99) that flew past, only identifiable by its call. Good numbers of sparrows were around: Chipping, Brewer’s, Vesper, Savannah, Gambel’s White-crowned, and Pink-sided Juncos.
The sky to the west was filled with an impressive set of lenticular clouds. These clouds form from standing waves in air currents. The crest of each wave is higher, and thus colder, so stationary clouds form at the tops of these waves.
- Vesper Sparrow
- Savannah Sparrow
- Black Phoebe
- Say’s Phoebe
That’s it for the fancy pictures until I get my own DSLR!
Albuquerque birding 
Spectacular sunsets and clouds!
Thanks!