Sandhill Crane by Ken Conger

Friday, 16th March 2007

Sunlit Sandhill

by Ken Conger

Anyone’s first trip to Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge is special. The shear magnitude of the bird populations is astounding. After spending almost a week in Bosque, the hopes were to capture some unique images. Late one afternoon near the end of the trip it all came together. The geese and cranes were feeding fairly close to the road, the wind was blowing in the right direction and most importantly the sun was facing directly in the birds face as they were leaving the fields. This late afternoon photograph of a Sandhill Crane was my favorite image of the trip.

Equipment: Canon 20d with 400mm/2.8

Ken Conger

Ken is a career conservation police officer. His motivation and enthusiasm for wildlife protection carries over to his leisure pursuit of wildlife photography. Ken has a collection of images that range from birds to large mammals. None of the images on Ken’s site are caged or staged and are strictly of wild animals.

www.kencongerphotography.com

14 Comments

Bill Pevlor Says:
March 16th, 2007 at 3:41 am
Ken, this is such an excellent capture. Beautiful detail, color and tone. Isn’t it wonderful when all the planets align that enable a wonderful shot like this. I’m in awe!
Photo Buffet Says:
March 16th, 2007 at 5:58 am
Absolutely breathtaking, Ken.
Can’t wait to visit your site.
Paul Dass Says:
March 16th, 2007 at 9:01 am
This classic, and breath taking. I love it
Dean Says:
March 16th, 2007 at 2:23 pm
Really great shot Ken. Well done!
Marilynne Bowe Says:
March 16th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
Awesome, Ken. I visited your website and you have some truly wonderful shots — you are what I aspire to be. I’ve had one photo posted on earthshots.org and feel it was a “fluke” when viewing all the other photos. Lots of work to do - and that’s the fun part! LOL Keep up the great work. Marilynne
Laurie Says:
March 16th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
Amazing shot!
Ken Says:
March 17th, 2007 at 2:27 am
Thanks all for taking the time to provide such kind comments.
amita kumari Says:
March 20th, 2007 at 10:42 am
Amazing shot!
ALEX Says:
March 21st, 2007 at 8:14 pm
This is such a great shot! I went to the Platte River Valley (in NE) last year to photograph the Cranes, and it is a really great experience…
a. Says:
March 16th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
This is a truly breathtaking photo. I love the shadows on the bird’s body, and I love the bone structure on the wings. Amazing.
a. Says:
March 16th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Thanks for responding too!
Anurag Says:
March 17th, 2008 at 7:53 am
Really a top class shot. I’ve been to your site, your work is really excellent.
Pieter -sAner- van der Horst Says:
March 21st, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Very nice … The DOF is excellent and I love the sandy colors behind the bird. Sharp picture, well frozen action.
Peter Cooney Says:
May 4th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
I learnt so much from this wonderful picture, the lucky bird seems to be in a world of it’s own, very special.