I recently went to Bosque after so many folks have been telling me that it's a "must visit" place. I must say that Bosque certainly is not overrated! Beside the cranes there are plenty of other bird species and wildlife to photograph.
I don't know how or why some images come out looking painterly but I love when they do. This is the only one that turned out with that look from my Bosque trip.
Canon EF 400 f/5.6L USM on 1D Mark III
1/1250s @ f/7.1, ISO 1000
Taken hand held