A pair of sandhill cranes engage in the avian equivalent of a WWE* match, while the two cranes on the left provide commentary on the interaction. Several sports betting companies have expressed interest in providing wagering opportunities on the outcome of these antagonistic behaviors, though numerous details still need to be worked out.

*World Wrestling Entertainment, also an influencer of American politics

Tags:   Sandhill Cranes Bernardo Waterfowl Area Ladd S. Gordon Waterfowl Complex New Mexico whimsy

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With the creosote covered hill in the background and the morning sun in its eyes, a sandhill crane descends towards towards a marsh in Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.

Tags:   Sandhill crane Grus canadensis Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge New Mexico morning light

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Snow geese depart the safe haven of Bosque del Apache for a day of feeding in the fields to the north. The warm rays of the rising sun illuminate the slopes of the Chupadero Mountains in the background.

Tags:   snow geese Anser caerulescens Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge New Mexico Sunrise

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A group of sandhill cranes free themselves from the bonds of gravity in the early morning light at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. The lumps in the foreground are pintail and Northern shoveler ducks dining on marsh delicacies.

Tags:   Sandhill Cranes Grus canadensis Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge Sunrise New Mexico

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A puffed-up male Amereican kestrel sun bathes on a cold winter morning. Kestrels are our smallest raptor, with the most beautiful plumage imho. Although kestrels are usually skittish, this guy was quite tolerant of me getting a couple of shots off without flying off.

Tags:   American kestrel Falco sparverius Sawhill Ponds Boulder Colorado cottonwood snag

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