75 scenic images taken at sunrise and sunset at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge, NM.
Many of these images are compiled from the other sections, the rest are unique to this page.

Click an image to open a larger version.
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Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Birds Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

Direct Links to Collections containing these images:

Raptors              Sandhill Cranes              Snow Geese

New Mexico Scenic: Bosque Scenics Sunrise & Sunset

Bosque del Apache First Light 2468

Thousands of Snow Geese cover the sky over Bosque del Apache at first light in late December.

Bosque del Apache Dawn X6401

Another magnificent dawn breaks over the main pool at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge.

New Mexico Sunrise X6760

Dawn breaks over the Ladd Gordon Waterfowl Complex north of Bosque del Apache.

New Mexico Sunrise X6762

Snow Geese fly high in a sky painted by a magnificent New Mexico sunrise over
the Ladd Gordon Waterfowl Complex north of Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge.

Bosque del Apache Dawn 2281 16x9

Ground fog obscures the landscape beyond the main pool at Bosque del Apache at dawn in mid-December.

Bosque del Apache Dawn Flyout 2282 16x9

A wider angle view of the main pool at dawn as thousands of Snow Geese fly over on their way to the farm fields.

Bosque del Apache Dawn Flyout 2735

Thousands of Snow Geese fly over the main pond at Bosque del Apache at dawn in mid-December.

Bosque del Apache Dawn 2739

A Bald Eagle watches over the main pool at dawn on a misty morning at Bosque del Apache in mid-December.

Snow Geese at Sunrise X6407

Snow Geese fly over sleeping comrades huddling for warmth on a brutally cold February morning at sunrise.

Bald Eagle at Sunrise 4610 M

A Bald Eagle watches the sunrise over the main pool at Bosque del Apache in late February.

All of the landscape (horizontal) large version images linked from the thumbnails are 1500 pixels wide.
Portrait (vertical) images are 1200 pixels tall (1290 pixels with title bar). Images designated with an “M”
in the shot number are 5:4 aspect ratio, 1500 x 1290 with a title bar, or 1500 x 1200 without a title bar.

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Birds Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

Direct Links to Collections containing these images:

Raptors              Sandhill Cranes              Snow Geese

New Mexico Scenic: Bosque Scenics Sunrise & Sunset

Bosque del Apache Dawn X9234

Dawn breaks over the main pool on a morning with thin high clouds overhead.
In over 30 visits to Bosque del Apache over several years, the most colorful dawn
scenes were days with a thin overcast or a gap in the clouds at the eastern horizon.

Bosque del Apache Dawn 6487

Dawn over the main pool at Bosque del Apache.

Bosque del Apache Dawn 6491

The same scene framed higher to catch the ruddy cloud.

Bosque del Apache Dawn 6492 pano

A panorama crop of the main pool at Bosque del Apache at dawn.
Sandhill Cranes are beginning to wake after spending the night in the pond.

Snow Geese Dawn Flyout 4476

Snow Geese in silhouette and the first light of sunrise paint the sky over the main pond at Bosque del Apache.

Bosque del Apache Sunrise 4495

Bosque del Apache Sunrise 4501

The rising sun paints clouds over Bosque del Apache. As the sun breaks over the horizon, the color changes from red to gold.

Bosque del Apache Sunrise 4498 16x9

A magnificent New Mexico sunrise paints clouds over the main pool at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge.

Below are a series of three images of a beautiful mid-February sunrise over the main pool
at Bosque del Apache, taken at three wide angle focal lengths (14mm, 24mm, and 35mm).

Bosque del Apache Dawn X0839

A 14mm wide angle view as the rising sun paints thin clouds over the main pool at Bosque del Apache.

Bosque del Apache Dawn X0840

A spectacular sunrise over the main pool at Bosque del Apache on a thinly overcast day in mid-February.

Bosque del Apache Dawn HS7857

The rising sun paints clouds over the main pool at Bosque del Apache in this 35mm wide-angle closeup.

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Birds Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

Direct Links to Collections containing these images:

Raptors              Sandhill Cranes              Snow Geese

New Mexico Scenic: Bosque Scenics Sunrise & Sunset

Bosque del Apache Dawn Flyout HS7845

Snow Geese fly past the main pool as sunrise breaks over Bosque del Apache in mid-February.
These two images were taken at 1/15 second to render the geese as surrealistic objects in the sky.

Bosque del Apache Dawn Flyout HS7846 16x9

Snow Geese in a brilliantly colored dawn sky over the main pool at Bosque del Apache.

Bosque Snow Geese at Dawn 5499

A group of Snow Geese fly in to the main pond to join their fellows at dawn.
They stay for a while, discussing strategy, then fly out again to the corn fields.

Bosque del Apache Dawn 2219

Dawn breaks over the main pool near the Flight Deck at Bosque del Apache on a
cold winter morning, painting the cloud cover, the pool, and a group of Snow Geese.

Bosque del Apache Dawn Flyout 2232

A cloud of Snow Geese fly over a flock placidly swimming on the main pond along with Sandhill Cranes
and ducks, as the first light of sunrise paints the sky on a thinly overcast morning at Bosque del Apache.

This image was taken at 85mm at 1/10 second to render the geese which
were moving across the frame as blurry, surrealistic objects in the dawn sky.

The morning flyout of the Snow Geese is one of Nature’s most spectacular scenes.
Tens of thousands of Snow Geese fill the sky in an instantaneous burst of flight. A group
of geese take off at nearly the same moment, flying within inches of each other, and as the
madly honking gaggle of geese fly over each pool, they set off the group of geese below.
This shot captures a gaggle of geese flying over a group of geese in the pool below,
just before that group breaks into flight to join them in their trip to the corn fields.

Bosque del Apache Dawn X8717

Bosque del Apache Dawn Flyout X8721

At dawn over the main pond south of the Flight Deck, the sun paints the low clouds in the east
red and gold as thousands of Snow Geese begin to fly in from the southeast over the Rio Grande.

Bosque del Apache Dawn Flyout X8725

As the approaching Snow Geese reach the pool, geese in the pond break into flight.
These images were taken at 1/10 second, giving the geese a surrealistic appearance.

Bosque del Apache Dawn Flyout X8726

Thousands of Snow Geese fly over the main pond at Bosque del Apache at dawn in late December.

Bosque del Apache Dawn Flyout X8728

Dawn flyout of the Snow Geese over the main pond at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge.

Bosque del Apache Sunrise 3887

A golden sunrise illuminates a flock of Snow Geese in the main pool at Bosque del Apache in mid-December.

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Birds Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

Direct Links to Collections containing these images:

Raptors              Sandhill Cranes              Snow Geese

New Mexico Scenic: Bosque Scenics Sunrise & Sunset

Snow Geese Dawn Flyout HS8386

A cloud of Snow Geese passes in front of the Chupadera Mountains at dawn
over a pond at the Ladd Gordon Waterfowl Complex north of Bosque del Apache.

Bosque Snow Geese at Sunrise HS1065

Snow Geese fly over the Cottonwoods at sunrise in January, with the Chupadera Mountains in the distance.

Bosque Snow Geese at Sunrise X3501

A closeup of Snow Geese flying by in December, as the geese and a mist over the Chupaderas reflect the sunrise.

Bosque del Apache Sandhills at Sunrise HS1061

A group of sleeping Sandhill Cranes are frozen into the icy pond in front of the Coyote Deck on
a crisp January morning, as the first rays of sunrise bathe the Cottonwoods in a red-orange glow.

Bosque Crane Pool at Sunrise 2332

The rising sun reflecting from the Chupadera Mountains adds color to a Crane Pool on a morning in mid-December.

Bosque Crane Pool at Sunrise 3264

Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes cover the Crane Pool on a mid-December morning, three days (and five minutes) later.

Bosque Crane Pool at Sunrise 6372

Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes are painted by the soft light reflecting from the
Chupadera Mountains onto a Crane Pool at sunrise on a cold morning in January.

Bosque Crane Pool Chupaderas 5011

On clear mornings, the contrast is much higher and the color is less surreal, but the beauty of the scene remains.

Bosque Crane Pool Chupaderas 3367

A group of Sandhill Cranes left behind by their fellows admire the reflection of the Chupadera Mountains in the Crane Pool.

Snow Geese at Dawn 3020

Snow Geese landing in front of a group of Sandhill Cranes at dawn in a Crane Pool
which reflects the mauve color of the impending sunrise on a mid-December morning.

Snow Geese Sunrise Flyout 3065

Snow Geese leaving the Crane Pool 15 minutes later to fly out to the farm fields at sunrise.

Snow Geese at Dawn 6440

Snow Geese fly over a group of their fellows in a Crane Pool as the sunrise paints the Chupadera Mountains.

Snow Geese at Sunrise 1710

A flock of Snow Geese at sunrise on the main pond at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico.

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Birds Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

Direct Links to Collections containing these images:

Raptors              Sandhill Cranes              Snow Geese

New Mexico Scenic: Bosque Scenics Sunrise & Sunset

Bosque del Apache Sandhill Cranes 2328

A late afternoon flight of a pair of Sandhill Cranes over a Crane Pool at Bosque del Apache.

Bosque del Apache Sandhills at Sunset HS0430

Bosque del Apache Sandhills at Sunset HS0431

Sandhill Cranes fly over Ducks, Teals and Canada Geese in the golden light near sunset in January.

Bosque del Apache Sandhills at Sunset 6865

A group of Sandhill Cranes fly in an arched formation on their way to a sunset landing
amongst a flock of Snow Geese on the Main Pond at Bosque del Apache, New Mexico.

Bosque Snow Geese at Sunset X3431

Snow Geese settle into the main pond at Bosque del Apache just before sunset.

Bosque Snow Geese at Sunset X3432 pano

A panorama crop of Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes on the main pool at Bosque del Apache near sunset.

Sandhill Crane Sunset Landing 5791c M

Since there are a few non-landscape wildlife shots on this page, I thought you may
want to see an image of a Sandhill Crane landing at sunset. The timing of this shot
was just right, capturing the bird scooping air to lose speed just before touchdown.

Snow Geese Moon X4031

Snow Geese flying in front of the moon at sunset in early December.

This is one of three available images of this scene.

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Birds Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

Direct Links to Collections containing these images:

Raptors              Sandhill Cranes              Snow Geese

New Mexico Scenic: Bosque Scenics Sunrise & Sunset

Ladd Gordon at Sunset X6447

A pair of Sandhill Cranes fly over Cottonwoods at Ladd Gordon Waterfowl Complex at sunset.

Sandhill Cranes at Sunset X1274 16x9

Sandhill Cranes at sunset, on the main pond at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge.

Sandhill Cranes Sunset Drink HS0942

A pair of Sandhill Cranes taking their first drink at sunset after a long day in the fields.

Sandhill Cranes Sunset Reflections HS8174

A group of Sandhill Cranes are reflected in the main pond in beautiful light after sunset in February.

Sandhill Cranes Sunset Display 3828

A Sandhill Crane displays in golden light after sunset for an appreciative female on the main pond.

Snow Geese Dusk Landing 3615

Snow Geese float in for a landing on the main pond just after sunset in mid-December.

Sandhill Cranes at Dusk X6366

Sandhill Cranes on a Crane Pool at dusk in late January, at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge, NM.

Snow Geese Dusk Landing 5453

Snow Geese floating in for a landing on the main pond, which reflects mauve light bouncing off low clouds at dusk.

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Birds Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

Direct Links to Collections containing these images:

Raptors              Sandhill Cranes              Snow Geese

New Mexico Scenic: Bosque Scenics Sunrise & Sunset

Ladd Gordon Geese Sandhills Sunset X6458

Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes fly past a pink cloud over Ladd Gordon Waterfowl Complex at sunset.

Ladd Gordon Sandhills at Sunset X6463

Sandhill Cranes punctuate the sky near a pink cloud at sunset.

Ladd Gordon Snow Geese at Sunset X6466

A formation of Snow Geese fly over a pink cloud at sunset.

Ladd Gordon Sandhills at Sunset HS8377

Sandhill Cranes fly past a pink cloud at sunset towards Bosque del Apache
from the Ladd Gordon Waterfowl Complex, 48 miles north in Bernardo, NM.

Ladd Gordon Sandhills at Sunset HS8373

Ladd Gordon Sandhills at Sunset HS8384

Sandhill Cranes flying in front of pink clouds lit by a magnificent New Mexico sunset over Ladd Gordon.

Ladd Gordon Snow Geese at Sunset HS8379

A formation of Snow Geese in front of a pink cloud at sunset over Ladd Gordon Waterfowl Complex.

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Birds Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

Direct Links to Collections containing these images:

Raptors              Sandhill Cranes              Snow Geese

New Mexico Scenic: Bosque Scenics Sunrise & Sunset

Very Large Array at Sunrise 7121

The Very Large Array is a radiotelescope complex on the Plain of San Agustin,
near the town of Magdalena about 50 miles west of Soccoro, the closest town to
Bosque del Apache Refuge. Part of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory,
The Very Large Array (VLA) consists of 27 independent antennas. Each dish is
82 feet (25m) in diameter and weighs over 200 tons. The antennas can be lifted
using a special locomotive and moved along the rail tracks to a set of prepared
positions. The antennas together act as a single huge radiotelescope antenna.

Very Large Array at Sunrise 7127

Very Large Array at Sunrise 7129

The two shots above were taken two minutes apart, as the red-gold light faded
to gold and the sun lit the mountains at the edge of the Plain of San Agustin.

Very Large Array at Sunrise 7141

An arm of the Y-shaped Antenna Array of the Very Large Array converging into the distance
just after sunrise on a cold morning in February. The VLA was a major location for the 1997
film “Contact”, although the number of antennas was increased in CGI and the canyon shown
nearby is actually Canyon de Chelly in Arizona. It was also a location for the 1984 film “2010”,
and was a Skynet facility attacked at the beginning of the 2009 film “Terminator Salvation”.

Very Large Array at Sunrise 7148

Radio telescope antennas disappearing into the distance at the Very Large Array.

The VLA is used to investigate Radio Galaxies, quasars, pulsars, and other objects
in the universe. It is not used to search for extraterrestrials as has been depicted in films.

Very Large Array Antenna at Sunrise 7151

Very Large Array Antenna at Sunrise 7157

Detail of VLA antennas in front of dark clouds in the golden light of sunrise.

Very Large Array 7160

A cluster of antennas at the Very Large Array, in the soft light of an overcast February morning.

Images in this section are in a number of different Galleries on the Photoshelter website.
The Banner below leads to the Birds Collection where a Gallery can be selected.

Direct Links to Collections containing these images:

Raptors              Sandhill Cranes              Snow Geese

New Mexico Scenic: Bosque Scenics Sunrise & Sunset

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