Sandhill Cranes
Grus canadensis

f9 @ 1/640s, ISO:1250, Nikon D3S w 300mm

\"Sandhill Crane,\" Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Sandhill cranes\' large wingspans, typically 1.65 to 2.29 m (5 ft 5 in to 7 ft 6 in), make them very skilled soaring birds, similar in style to hawks and eagles. Using thermals to obtain lift, they can stay aloft for many hours, requiring only occasional flapping of their wings and consequently expending little energy. Migratory flocks contain hundreds of birds, and can create clear outlines of the normally invisible rising columns of air (thermals) they ride.

Bosque del Apache NWR, New Mexico

01/15/2013