Landings

This page contains 29 images and one composite of Sandhill Crane landings at sunset and dusk.
Sandhill Crane landings can be quite elegant, and some of the touchdowns add a comical element.
Dusk landings are especially difficult to capture, as the lower light forces longer exposure times.
This page includes several highly coveted “full-parachute landings” taken from a frontal angle.

Click an image to open a larger version.
Use your back button to return to this page.

Sunburst3

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

PhotoshelterGallerySection


There are 5 Galleries in the Photoshelter Sandhill Cranes Collection

Sunburst3

Sandhill Cranes

Named for the sand hills of the Platte River area where most North American migratory
individuals gather to rest before heading to their breeding grounds in Canada and Alaska,
the Sandhill Cranes are the oldest known birds still in existence (a fossil skeleton identical in
structure to the modern Sandhill Crane was found in Nebraska and was dated to 10 million
years). This fossil is most likely from a direct ancestor to the Sandhill Crane. The oldest
fossil that is without doubt from a Sandhill Crane was dated to 2.5 million years ago,
which is 1.5 times older than the earliest remains from most living bird species.

Sandhill Cranes are large birds, 3.5 to 4.5 feet tall, with red facial skin, forehead and
crown, and gray feathers into which they sometimes preen iron-rich mud, turning them
a reddish-brown color. They are the most abundant of cranes, with a wide distribution in
North America, Cuba and Northeastern Siberia. Three migratory sub-species winter in the
southern US and northern Mexico, and three non-migratory sub-species live in Mississippi,
Cuba and Florida. The migratory species breed in the northern US, Canada and Siberia.

SandhillCranes_ThermalGlide_6933M


Sandhill Cranes Thermal Glide 6933 M

A group of Sandhill Cranes perform an elegant ballet, gliding and twisting on a thermal updraft
on their way to a landing on the Main Pond, just to the left of the Flight Deck at sunset in February.

SandhillCrane_SunsetLanding_X3427M


Sandhill Crane Sunset Landing X3427 M

SandhillCrane_SunsetLanding_X4010M


Sandhill Crane Sunset Landing X4010 M

Often, Sandhill Cranes reduce speed before landing by making steep turns before coming in, but
occasionally they still have too much speed as they approach the ground. When this happens, they
lean way back and flap madly before landing, which can sometimes create some comical positions.

It is extremely desirable to get landing shots from a frontal angle. This requires some planning
and a liberal dose of luck. The planning comes in when you attempt to decide beforehand where
the cranes may land, and set up downwind of that location. The luck comes in later as it is hard to
guess exactly where the cranes may land (you may have the right pond, but they usually end up
landing on the opposite side of the pond, so the bird is only a little speck in the distance).

SandhillCrane_SunsetLanding_X4035M


Sandhill Crane Sunset Landing X4035 M

A Sandhill Crane scoops air in what is sometimes called a “full-parachute” landing as it
passes over a Cinnamon Teal at sunset on its way into the Main Pond at Bosque del Apache.

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.

SandhillCrane_Landing_X6702M


Sandhill Crane Landing X6702 M

A Sandhill Crane with wings extended after a sunset landing at the small Crane Pool at Bosque del Apache.

SandhillCrane_SunsetLanding_5790


Sandhill Crane Sunset Landing 5790

A Sandhill Crane floats in for a sunset landing over a group of Cranes and Snow Geese at Bosque del Apache.

SandhillCrane_SunsetLanding_5792M


Sandhill Crane Sunset Landing 5792 M

This bird consulted with me before he flew in to determine the perfect approach path to land, giving me
the optimum frontal angle to capture a “full-parachute” landing. I thought that was very considerate of him.

SandhillCrane_SunsetLanding_5791M


Sandhill Crane Sunset Landing 5791 M

A Sandhill Crane comes in for a “full-parachute” landing, taken from the perfect frontal angle at sunset.

Sandhill_Crane_Sunset_Landing_XXL


Sandhill Crane Sunset Landing XXL

A 1500 x 1036 version of the XXL Composite (6010 x 4150) showing four shots from a landing sequence
taken at the perfect frontal angle at sunset, in the marsh in front of the Main Pond at Bosque del Apache.

Sunburst3

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

PhotoshelterGallerySection


There are 5 Galleries in the Photoshelter Sandhill Cranes Collection

Sunburst3
ParachuteLanding_3202


Parachute Landing 3202

ParachuteLanding_3204


Parachute Landing 3204

The “full-parachute” landing, taken from a side angle as a Sandhill Crane lands at sunset, halfway out
into the Main Pond at Bosque del Apache. This bird was at a fair distance, so even at 500mm it only
covered a small part of the frame. It is more desirable to get shots like this from a shallower angle to
avoid having the wing cover the head when the bird scoops air in the final moment before landing,
but landings like this in perfect light are rare enough that you take the shot when it presents itself.

SandhillCranes_DoubleParachuteLanding_X9508M


Sandhill Cranes Double Parachute Landing X9508 M

Two Sandhill Cranes coming in for a “tandem parachute landing” just before sunset at Bosque del Apache.

SandhillCranes_SunsetLanding_3145


Sandhill Cranes Sunset Landing 3145

A group of cranes float in for a landing on a windy December evening to join their colleagues for a drink.

SandhillCranes_SunsetLanding_X9163


Sandhill Cranes Sunset Landing X9163

One crane performs an elegant dance at sunset while two others land just ahead of him in the Main Pond.

SandhillCranes_SunsetLanding_X0676


Sandhill Cranes Sunset Landing X0676

Two Sandhill Cranes brake for a landing on the Main Pond in the golden light of sunset.

SandhillCranes_SunsetLanding_X9194M


Sandhill Cranes Sunset Landing X9194 M

Two Sandhill Cranes float in for a sunset landing in golden light on the Main Pond at Bosque del Apache.

SandhillCrane_Landing_8793


Sandhill Crane Landing 8793

A Sandhill Crane comes in for a “full-parachute” landing at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in British Columbia.
This shot from the rear allows you to see the crane’s “speed brakes” fully extended to grab air at landing.

SandhillCrane_Landing_8794M


Sandhill Crane Landing 8794 M

A Sandhill Crane touches down at George C. Reifel Bird Sanctuary in British Columbia, Canada.
These two shots were taken at mid-day, but the winter light in southern Canada on an overcast day
is surprisingly low... it is nearly as dark there as it is at dusk in Bosque del Apache, New Mexico.

Sunburst3

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

PhotoshelterGallerySection


There are 5 Galleries in the Photoshelter Sandhill Cranes Collection

Sunburst3
SandhillCranes_MauveDuskLanding_X7368


Sandhill Cranes Mauve Dusk Landing X7368

A group of Sandhill Cranes float in for a landing in the waning light at dusk.

This was an extremely challenging shot, taken at 1/80 second at f/4 with a 500mm lens.
That is a very slow shutter speed for a lens of that focal length, and the wide aperture
made it difficult to keep the group of cranes in the extremely shallow focused field.
This combination of issues made achieving a sharply focused image interesting.

SandhillCrane_DuskLanding_6246


Sandhill Crane Dusk Landing 6246

A Sandhill Crane bounces off the surface just after touchdown at dusk.

The partial overcast reflects the last long rays of light after sunset back onto the pond,
creating a beautiful mauve shade, also seen before the sun rises on thinly overcast days.

SandhillCrane_DuskLanding_6307M


Sandhill Crane Dusk Landing 6307 M

An extremely difficult closeup of a dusk landing in mauve light, taken at 1/80 second at f/4 with a 500mm lens.

SandhillCrane_DuskLanding_7095M


Sandhill Crane Dusk Landing 7095 M

Another difficult dusk landing in more conventional soft golden light, taken at 1/125 second at f/4 with a 500mm lens.

As mentioned earlier, the low light at dusk requires the use of a wide aperture and a slow shutter speed
to gather enough light. The wide aperture (f/4) creates an extremely shallow depth to the focused field in
images taken with a 500mm lens, so keeping a bird’s head in the focused plane while it is in flight is an
interesting challenge. You have to pan horizontally and vertically with the bird at the exact same speed
and angle that the crane is moving to avoid motion blur at the slow shutter speed, and even the small
vibration caused by pressing the shutter can cause enough motion of the lens to ruin a shot, since
the reciprocal of the shutter speed is 1/6 to 1/4 of the focal length (very slow for a 500mm lens).
This combination of factors makes it imperative that you use every technical trick in the book.

SandhillCrane_DuskLanding_7092M


Sandhill Crane Dusk Landing 7092 M

A Sandhill Crane touches down for a landing in the soft golden light at dusk (1/100 @ f/4, 500mm).

SandhillCrane_DuskLanding_7122


Sandhill Crane Dusk Landing 7122

SandhillCrane_DuskLanding_7124


Sandhill Crane Dusk Landing 7124

A Sandhill Crane comes in for a landing in the waning light of dusk at Bosque del Apache, New Mexico.

SandhillCrane_DuskLanding_7130M


Sandhill Crane Dusk Landing 7130 M

You can judge how shallow the depth of field is by looking at the water below the bird.

SandhillCrane_DuskLanding_7162


Sandhill Crane Dusk Landing 7162

SandhillCrane_DuskLanding_7168


Sandhill Crane Dusk Landing 7168

A group of Sandhill Cranes evaluate the landing technique of one of their fellows as he
drops into one of the Crane Pools at dusk. Peer pressure is high at Bosque del Apache.

SandhillCrane_DuskLanding_7167M


Sandhill Crane Dusk Landing 7167 M

A Sandhill Crane lands in a Crane Pool in the waning golden light of dusk at Bosque del Apache.

Sunburst3

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

PhotoshelterGallerySection


There are 5 Galleries in the Photoshelter Sandhill Cranes Collection

Sunburst3
Takeoffs


Click the Display Composite above to visit the Sandhill Cranes: Takeoffs page

Takeoff_Sequences


Click the Display Composite above to visit the Sandhill Cranes: Takeoff Sequences page

Flight


Click the Display Composite above to visit the Sandhill Cranes: Flight page

Breeding


Click the Display Composite above to visit the Sandhill Cranes: Fall Plumage and Mating Dance page

Scenic_Asst


Click the Display Composite above to visit the Sandhill Cranes: Scenics and Assorted Images page

Composites


Click the Display Composite above to visit the Sandhill Cranes: Composite Images page

SandhillCranes


Click the Display Composite above to return to the Sandhill Cranes Wildlife Study Overview page

GrEgret_copyright_clip