The second morning in Monte Vista, we made sure to arrive at the ponds in the wildlife refuge well before sunrise. I made this image just before the sun rose.
During this visit, I attempted to make several images of cranes in flight. I managed to track this single crane from the time that it left the water.
I made several images of this crane. In the following image, the rising sun lit up the underside of the wings.
We spent more time at the ponds later in the morning to watch the coots and other birds. Periodically, the coots started chasing one another across the water. Perhaps this was a territorial dispute? Or a courting ritual? As they scoot across the water, the coots leave a trail of water spray behind them.
The calls of the Red-Winged Blackbirds rang out across the ponds. In this image, four males were perched in a nearby tree.
The ponds are lined with plenty of cat tails, so I had to make some images and included here.
The Red-Winged Blackbirds typically perch on cat tails. From here they make their distinctive calls. Most of the birds were males; the female birds had not arrived at the ponds.
Here is another image of the sunrise above the ponds. Luckily there were Canada Geese flying past at the same time.
The sun was obscured by clouds soon after this. There was less light when the last of the cranes flew out. This required a slower shutter speed that blurred the movement of the flying birds.
We made our way back to the hotel, checked out, and headed back home after a welcome break.