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Oxbow meadows has a huge pasture that is a favorite feeding spot for deer... they will emerge from the woods in the evening in large numbers to forage. I visited the pasture in early December hoping to get a few photos of them when I saw some large birds grazing in the distance. At first I thought they were blue herons but when I zoomed in on them I was surprised to discover that they were Sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis), which are not native to this area. This was about as close as I could get with a 300mm lens..., the birds were extremely wary. I assumed they were resting here for the night during their migration (one of their wintering areas is south of us, in Florida). After taking a few shots I wandered on, assuming that this would probably be last I would see of them.

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BH08_12_0027b.jpg - Oxbow meadows has a huge pasture that is a favorite feeding spot for deer... they will emerge from the woods in the evening in large numbers to forage. I visited the pasture in early December hoping to get a few photos of them when I saw some large birds grazing in the distance. At first I thought they were blue herons but when I zoomed in on them I was surprised to discover that they were Sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis), which are not native to this area. This was about as close as I could get with a 300mm lens..., the birds were extremely wary. I assumed they were resting here for the night during their migration (one of their wintering areas is south of us, in Florida). After taking a few shots I wandered on, assuming that this would probably be last I would see of them.

Camera: NIKON D80 | Date: 12/2/08 2:12 PM | Resolution: 3740 x 2034 | ISO: 800 | Exp. Time: 1/1000s | Aperture: 8.0 | Focal Length: 300.0mm (=457mm)

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