Bill Gracey's photostream  

These are sandhill cranes in Willcox, Arizona returning to their roosts at sunset. Or maybe they're just going for a beer at the Fly 'N Go.

We've come to Willcox, Arizona to see the sandhill cranes, do sightseeing and hang out with friends. This was taken about 45 minutes before sundown when the clouds behind the trees went almost black, but the light on the watchers was warm and bright. I took this with my infrared camera because my color camera had a long lens and teleconverter on it, and I was too lazy to switch lenses. Also, it was dramatic light that I thought might look good in infrared.

My infrared set has more IR images and an explanation of how they are done. www.flickr.com/photos/9422878@N08/sets/72157600507865146/

We saw these sandhill cranes in Willcox, Arizona last evening. These stately birds migrate here from the north much like the folks from Canada and the northern United States. In a recent census there were over 38,000 of these birds counted here during the height of the migration. We watched as the skies filled with thousands of these birds heading to their roosts. The sound of their calls could be heard a long way. It was a magical experience.

We saw these sandhill cranes in Willcox, Arizona yesterday evening. These stately birds migrate here from the north much like the folks from Canada and the northern United States. In a recent census there were over 38,000 of these birds counted here during the height of the migration. We watched as the skies filled with thousands of these birds heading to their roosts. The sound of their calls could be heard a long way. It was a magical experience.

We saw these sandhill cranes in Willcox, Arizona this afternoon. These stately birds migrate here from the north much like the folks from Canada and the northern United States. In a recent census there were over 38,000 of these birds counted here during the height of the migration. Last night around sunset we watched as the skies filled with thousands of these birds heading to their roosts. The sound of their calls could be heard a long way. It was a magical experience.