Bosque Sunsets and Sunrises

It's been my experience that it's difficult to find a day in the winter when you don't get a good sunrise and sunset in the winter.  I guess such days happen, but just not on my watch.  I'm going to take a short break from the birds (a very short break... there are more) and provide a couple of photos of the sunset (taken on 12/23) and the sunrise on Christmas Eve. 

As I might have previously stated, the Snow geese and Sandhill cranes return in the late afternoon to the Bosque preserve to spend the night where they are safer from coyotes and other predators.  The fly-in is much more sparse and lasts longer than the fly-off (out) that occurs in the early mornings.  I'm not sure how much you can appreciate this first photo, but the sunlight in the foreground contrasts sharply with the dark sky.  But if you look carefully (click on the photo to enlarge it) you can see the birds returning to the preserve for the night.  They are slightly illuminated by the sunlight. 

This photo was taken just before the sunrise but after the flyoff.  A few of the ducks that will spend the day at the preserve are foraging for food in the shallow water. 

Next up... more birds!