On February 11, we left early for BWI and a flight to Albuquerque for a week in New Mexico. After renting a car, we drove about 100 miles south to San Antonio, where we left the interstate and drove seven miles in to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. This refuge is well known for thousands of Greater Sandhill Cranes and also thousands of Snow and Ross’s Geese.
That first evening there were hundreds of the white geese in a shallow pond before entering the refuge itself. Actually, it is probably in the refuge but before one reaches the visitors center and wildlife drive. In any case the geese were just standing in the water, some quite close to shore. None seemed bothered by the twenty of so photographers who were set up on the shore. I made a few images, but this situation — with many other photographers — is just not my thing, so we moved on into the visitors center for a quick trip. It was soon getting dark, so we drove back to Socorro and checked into the motel.
For the next two mornings, we were up at 5, ate a quick breakfast at the motel (they cater to hunters and birders) and checked outselves into the wildlife drive. They actually allow entrance one hour before sunrise, which is a great boon to photographers.
The first morning, we saw a single coyote, the only one for the trip, but it was a long ways away. I did make a few photos, however. We also saw and photographed lots of ducks and geese and quite a few raptors. No owls, however, despite reports of Great Horned out during the day. We encountered a nice Black-necked Pheasant, a sub-species of the familiar Ring-necked, but colors were muted on this cloudy sky.
We also had good looks and images of a Roadrunner that was working the side of the road. It had obviously seen more than his share of tourists!
The second morning we “hit the jackpot.” Shortly after entering, with a heavy frost on the ground, we came across a bobcat loping along perhaps 25 yards from the road. Quickly he lay down and I was able to make eight rapid images of him, even though I had to lean across the seat where Chris was sitting to shoot out the right side window. There was no chance that I could get out and use the tripod. After ten or fifteen seconds, he got up and moved through the brush, but reappeared a few seconds later for two more quick images. This is the only time in my photographic history that I have had a good opportunity for this cat. A real treat!
Shortly thereafter, and only a short ways down the road, we came across another cock pheasant, but this time in full sun. The colors were stunning. I kept turning the car around so that I could shoot it out my window and successfully made several dozen images. One was with his bill completely open. I do not remember him crowing, but perhaps he did. More likely he was just having a hard time swallowing the grit that he was picking up from the road.
If that wasn’t enough a few more minutes and we came across a small group of perhaps six or eight Mule Deer right adjacent to the road. We photographed them, including two almost grown twin fawns with frost still on the ground.
Two species of raptors gave us some great looks. An American Kestrel posed on a dead sapling very close to the road and I was able to get some wonderful images of him, including in the sun. This bird is usually quite skittish, so it was a welcome change of pace.
At one point, I was photographing a Raven picking apart the remains of a white goose, when another visitor came by and told us from his car window that across a dike from us was a Northern Harrier doing the same thing. After thanking him, we moved, we located him and I got out of the car. I needed to move to make images that were impossible from the vehicle. I found a spot where there was an opening through the brush alongside the dike and set up my tripod.
I had a great look, but the bird also had a great look at me staring at her. She must have figured that I was after the carcass and she was not going to give it up to a mere human. She was perched right on top, so I waited for her to continue rippping it apart. Instead, she froze. The wind was blowing and I was missing my hat and after over twenty minutes, I was so cold I gave up. She had not moved a feather in that time!
Later and not far away, we found a male Harrier perched on a fallen snag in great light. For reasons that I do not understand, one seldom sees male Harriers, even where this species is common. The bird remained on the snag long enough for me to make some nice images, before it took off on its apppointed rounds.
The Visitors Center has a feeding area that may be viewed from inside. It is not ideal photographing through glass, but I did so to capture images of Gambels Quail, Pyrrhuloxia, and Spotted Towee. The images came out pretty well despite the conditions.
After lunch we decided to drive on over to Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge which turned out to be 150 miles to the east. It was not a good decision. I had called the visitors center there a few weeks before and the volunteer I talked with raved about the place. She assured me that coyotes were a “gimee” and there was lots of other wildlife to photograph. She must have been smoking something from the garden!
We chatted with another volunteer at the center and he told us that we could sneak up on the birds and other wildlife on the east side of the wildlife loop. We went there and found…almost nothing. The part of the refuge where one is allowed to go is nearly devoid of all trees and there are not many bushes either. Wildlife has almost no place to hide.
There are thousands of white geese (mostly Ross’s) and Sandhill Cranes that winter on this refuge, but they take off either before or shortly after sunrise and return some ten hours later after sunset. The rest of the day there is almost nothing to “work.” The ducks are there, but very skittish, for whatever reason, far more so than at Bosque. There are almost no passerines and a limited number of raptors.
Sunrise the next morning was spectacular, but there was no change in the availability of photographic targets after the sun was up. The lift-off was, however, terrific. We considered returning to Bosque, but lacked the energy for another 150 miles drive.
The second morning the sunrise was without clouds, so nowhere near as enthralling as the first morning. We saw one Desert Cottontail several times that apparently lived under a small bridge, but that was the only mammal that made an appearance until the very end.
At 8 AM we went up to the Visitors Center again, where cracked corn is put out for the birds each day. Scaled Quail were supposed to feed there, but we had been unsuccesful seeing them previously. That morning, no one had put out the corn when we arrived and the volunteer was nowhere to be found. After a few minutes, I went into an open room where I could see a “brown shirt” talking to someone else. I asked if he could put out the corn, and he graciously accepted.
Within ten minutes a covey of about twelve Scaled Quail arrived at full speed. Again, I was shooting through glass that had a glare from the morning sun, so conditions were hardly ideal. At one point a Western Meadowlark came for a quick snack, as did another Cottontail, but the whole scene was over in ten minutes. Something scared the quail and they all flew away. It was time for us to go.
We drove through some very unattractive, unproductive land for many miles on our way up to Santa Fe. The only live thing we saw was a small group of Pronghorns on the wrong side of the road, and a swirling flock of Horned Larks that flew in front of the car. Even the cattle were few and far between. This is not fertile country! Wildlife photography was about over for this trip.
We did spend nearly two days in Santa Fe, enjoying all the art galleries and museums there. I photographed many works of art some of which can be viewed on my Facebook page. Of course, my wildlife work is there also.
Our penultimate adventure for New Mexico was taking the long tram ride up to the top of Sandia Peak on Friday afternoon. Stunning views and a lot of snow, but nary a squirrel and only a few quick looks at a few passerines.
On our way to the motel we made a brief stop at the Rio Grande Refuge right in the city of Albuquerque. It is a small property but does have an interesting and well made visitors center and a “blind” wall with holes in it to view the birds on the river. As we were ready to depart (the gates lock at 5 PM), four cranes that had landed on a dusty bare spot began to “dance.” It was thrilling to watch them for a few minutes leaping in the air with wings unfolded. Was this agression or the beginnings of mating season? Who knows?
The next morning we flew home.