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Scenes from sunrise with the sandhill cranes at Bosque del Apache

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Sandhill cranes take off from a pond at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge earlier this month.

It’s 6:30 a.m. at the Bosque del Apache roosting pond. The valley is filled with darkness, and the temperatures are below freezing. Photographers arrive in their cars, bundled up and ready to spend a few hours photographing the sandhill cranes.

Every winter, thousands of sandhill cranes migrate to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge and surrounding areas to spend the next few months. While the numbers have dwindled in recent years, visitors can still catch a glimpse of these prehistoric-like creatures en masse.

As the sun peeks over the mountains, the sandhill cranes slowly begin to untuck their heads from behind their wings and start waking up. As more and more cranes open their eyes, the sounds of their vocalizations grow louder and louder, filling the Bosque with the music of their calls.

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Sandhill cranes wake up just before sunrise in a pond at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024.

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The sun rises over the Chupadera Mountains as sandhill cranes awaken on a pond at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024.

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Sandhill cranes fly off in search of food in the early morning hours at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024.

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Sandhill cranes fly just above a pond at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024.

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Sandhill cranes preen in a pond at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024.

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Sandhill cranes fly above a pond at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024.

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Sandhill cranes wake up just before sunrise in a pond at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024.

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Sandhill cranes take off from a pond at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024.

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