JACK HEADED SOUTH FOR THE ANNUAL WINGDING

As with many bird species, sandhill cranes use aggression and displays of dominance to establish territorial boundaries, as seen in these two birds at Whitewater Draw, near McNeal. “What frequently happens is the birds will wander around and cross into another male’s territory,” Dykinga says. “There’s usually a kerfuffle that can be fatal.”

Eleven years ago, Dykinga underwent a double lung transplant. For many years before that, and in the years since he recovered, he traveled to Bosque del Apache, in New Mexico, and to Whitewater Draw to view and photograph the cranes. “The Earth is furling forth life,” Dykinga says. “Every time I see them, I choke up. I make the journey even if I don’t get a picture, just to hear the cacophony and watch them. This is one of my favorite photos. It was one of those foggy, misty mornings. I just wanted the ethereal aspect of it.” Whitewater Draw is a 15,000-acre wildlife preserve that’s home to approximately 20,000 sandhill cranes each winter.

A flock of sandhill cranes lifts off in a panic, with the Dos Cabezas Mountains in the background. “Normally, they don’t take off like this,” Dykinga says. “There was a wandering bald eagle that sent them into a panic. In birds, it’s called a murmuration, so predators can’t lock onto a single target. What’s interesting about cranes is that, on the ground, they’re somewhat clumsy looking — kind of gawky. In the air, though, it’s fight or flight. When they get into the air, they’re just gone, and when they migrate, they cover a lot of territory.”

“This is a shot I tried for about four years, using different lenses and different cameras,” Dykinga says. "Twin Lakes is a better location for me because the birds’ proximity to the moon is good. I don’t want them too close, because the camera can’t keep everything sharp. This was a successful shot for me.”

A dense population of lesser sandhill cranes prepares to take flight from their overnight roost at Twin Lakes, a pair of reservoirs in Willcox, at sunrise. “This was quite unexpected,” photographer Jack Dykinga says. “The clouds all lined up, but I didn’t expect that number of birds to be covering the water. It’s always amazing to behold, because it’s essentially a well-orchestrated airport taxiway. When you have that many birds crowding a very small lake, they have to wait to take off in a very orderly fashion in order to protect themselves from broken wings and other injuries. The light made the shot because of where the lake is situated and where I was photographing from.”