Raven with prey. Bosque del Apache NWR, Socorro NM

One of the great things about Bosque del Apache National Wildlife is that, right along side the major spectacle of the 30,000 Snow Geese and 14,000 Sandhill Cranes, you have all the other wildlife of the Rio Grande Valley high desert…and wildlife that seems somehow more accessible than it is outside the refuge. We watched this Raven devour some anonymous chunk of meat…and then drop down into the water channel and come back up with the next course…which is some kind of mouse or vole. It flew off with it pretty much intact. The Raven, seen this close up, is a beautiful bird, and demonstrated its hunting power for us.

Nikon P900 at 1750mm equivalent field of view. 1/500th @ ISO 110 @ f6.3. Processed in Lightroom.