Photo of The Day - National GeographicJanuary 17 , 2015 Morning TakeoffPhotograph by Aijing He , National Geographic Your Shot ◀ Aijing He “ Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico is a well - known winter home for thousands of migrating sandhill cranes , ” writes Your Shot member Aijing He . A particular pond in the refuge hosts a large flock of cranes at night . “ Every morning they fly out , one by one , to the nearby grass field to feed . ” On a cold December morning , He waited patiently for the cranes ’ morning takeoff . “ At around 7 a . m . , they started their daily routine . The early morning light was still very dim , so I decided to reduce the shutter speed to 1 / 30 th of a second to give a blurring effect to the flapping wings , and with some panning techniques , I managed to make the eye and the red crown stay well in focus . ”" 뉴멕시코 에 있 는 국립 야생 동물 보호구역 인 아파치 의 숲 은 철새 인 캐나다 두루미 수천 마리 가 겨울 을 나 는 곳 으로 유명 하 다 . " 라고 내셔널 지오 그래픽 Your Shot 멤버 인 아이 징 허가 쓰 고 있 다 . 보호구역 에 있 는 특별 한 연못 에 는 밤 이 되 면 수많 은 두루미 떼 들 이 모여 든다 . " 매일 아침 두루미 들 은 먹이 를 찾 기 위해 한 마리 씩 날아올라 서 근처 에 있 는 들판 으로 날아간다 . 추운 12 월 아침 , 아이 징 허 는 두루미 들 의 이륙 비행 을 끈기 있 게 기다렸 다 . " 아침 7 시 쯤 에 두루미 들 은 매일 하 는 이륙 비행 을 시작 하 였 다 . 이른 아침 일출 의 빛 은 아직 매우 흐릿 하 였 다 . 그래서 나 는 날 개짓 에 블러 링 효과 를 주 기 위하 여 셔터 속도 를 30 분 의 1 초 로 낮추 기 로 하 였 다 . 그리고 패닝 테크닉 을 이용 해서 , 눈 과 붉 은 두루미 볏 이 정지 상태 로 촛 점 에 잘 맞 을 수 있 도록 찍 어 보 았 다 . " . .. translated by 순둥이 Photo by Aijing He Bosque del Apache National Wildlife RefugeThe Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge , in southern Socorro County , New Mexico , is administered by the U . S . Fish and Wildlife Service . It lies in the Albuquerque Basin , near the Rio Grande astride New Mexico Route 1 , formerly U . S . Highway 85 . The refuge was founded in 1939 . LocationThe name of the refuge means " forest of the Apache " in Spanish , referring to a time when Apaches frequently camped in the riverside forest there . The heart of the refuge comprises approximately 3 , 800 acres ( 15 ㎢) of Rio Grande floodplain and 9 , 100 acres ( 37 ㎢) of irrigated farms and wetlands . In addition to this , the refuge contains 44 , 300 acres ( 179 ㎢) of arid grasslands and foothills of the Chupadera and San Pascual Mountains . About 30 , 000 acres ( 120 ㎢) of this is designated as wilderness . A twelve - mile - long ( 19 km ) loop road divided by a cutoff into a " Farm Loop " and " Marsh Loop " allows automobile drivers excellent views of wetland wildlife and raptors , and there are several short ( 1 . 5 to 10 miles ) walking trails . The road affords good views of the fields where crops are grown for the benefit of the birds under cooperative agreements with farmers . Adjacent to the Visitor ' s Center , a desert plant garden is maintained . BirdsSome 377 species of birds have been observed on the refuge since 1940 . The wetlands attract the huge flocks of wintering cranes and geese that are the refuge ' s most interesting feature . Many other species — notably waterfowl , shorebirds , and birds of prey — also winter in the refuge . Striking vagrants such as a Groove - billed Ani have been found there . In the Chihuahuan desert terrain outside of the Rio Grande riparian zone , the refuge also hosts three federally designated Wilderness areas ( Chupadera , Little San Pascual , and Indian Well ) . The diversity of birds is also high in spring , particularly the last week of April and first week of May , and in fall . In summer the area is hot but many water birds can be found , including such New Mexico rarities as the Least Bittern and occasionally the Little Blue Heron . Late November to late February is the best time for large numbers of birds , typically over 10 , 000 Sandhill Cranes and over 20 , 000 Ross ' s and Snow Geese . An annual ' festival of the cranes ' is held the weekend before Thanksgiving as large numbers of cranes begin arriving in the refuge . Winter visitors generally plan to be in the refuge at sunrise or sunset , when the flocks of cranes and geese that roost in the refuge " commute " to or from local fields where they feed . Although winter sunsets and especially sunrises are chilly , the daily low temperature is seldom far below freezing . Visitors typically stay in the nearby RV park or in Socorro or San Antonio . 동영상 을 보 시 려면 상단 중앙 의 배경 음악 은 잠시 꺼주 세요 . Wintering Cranes at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge This short film covers the activities and behaviors exhibited by sandhill cranes during a typical winter day at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge . This film was produced by Flying Cloud Films and the Friends of the Bosque with funding from Thrivent Financial . Bosque del Apache NWR , south of Socorro , New Mexico , is home to one of the world ' s premier birding festivals , the Festival of the Cranes .