Sandhill Cranes mate for life, and you see some mating behavior all year long as the pair renews their bond. That also means the males can be confrontational in any season, including November on their wintering grounds. When observing flocks as large as those that gather in the fields of Bosque del Apache, it seems like there is a confrontation about every 90 seconds or so, somewhere in the flock. Some males are always more confrontational, so it is possible to observe the pattern and catch them in the act. I am tempted to say “if you are lucky”, but patience and persistence has more to do with it than luck. That and a camera that responds quickly enough to catch the action. This is middle shot in a sequence of maybe 15 shots that I started as soon as I saw the confrontation coming, and my Sony RX10iv, as I have set up, shoots 10 fps. They whole confrontation lasted about a second and a half. 🙂 Sony RX10iv in program mode with my settings for birds in flight (which work for intense action like this as well). 600mm equivalent at 1/1000th @ f5.6 @ ISO 100. Processed in Photoshop Express.