Enjoying Bosque del Apache

In January, Hugh and I joined our photographer friends, Robert and Virginia, at Bosque Birdwatching RV Park adjacent to the Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge, sixty miles south of Albuquerque, New Mexico. One of the bird counts in January noted 34,760 snow geese, 24, 422 ducks, 10,017 Sandhill Cranes.

We decided we would go and spend 4-5 days enjoying the refuge. Three weeks later, we were still there, awed by the profusion of wildlife, the country setting that allowed visions of strings of snow geese and sandhill cranes flying over the RV park as we worked. We were magnetized to the morning liftoffs of these geese and cranes called flyouts and their return in late afternoon often framed by a spectacular sunset.

When Robert and Virginia invited us, they warned us, “It means getting up at 5:30 am to see the birds lift off.”

The next morning at 6:30 am, we loaded coffee thermos and cups, lunch, cameras, binoculars, mitts, and hats into the car and started towards the wildlife preserve. It was starting to get light when we came to a shallow pond along side the road where several cars had pulled over into some roadside parking. As our eyes became accustomed to the light, we looked at clouds in the sky. These clouds were actually hundreds of snow geese and sand hill cranes. They started to circle above us, then land in the 4-5 acre pond.

It sounded like a hum, or a roar of a waterfall. As some landed, there were more coming in great numbers, circling, then landing in the open spaces that were getting fewer. The noise grew as they settled into the lake. The sand hill cranes gurgled as they found places among the snow geese that greatly outnumbered them.

The sky continued to lighten, the birds continued to fill the space. When it seemed that there could be no more room on the pond surface, the sun struck its beams over the ridges to the east. Perhaps the noise level increased, but there was no other signal that would let us know that liftoff was now an event.

From the back of the 4-5 acre pond, the first snow birds started up with the rest following quickly on cue. Thousands of snow birds rose, their wings pushing, as they went upwards. We stood under their pathway as they rose and circled.

My skin tingled with the energy rush, as they completed a circle above us, then turned to the west noisily making their way to fields to forage for the day.

The approximately 60, 000 acre refuge provided wonderful opportunities to observe herons, ducks, deer, beavers, egrets. One evening as we watched a fly-in, a bob-cat leaped into the air at a landing snow goose. He was unsuccessful, despite his daring attempt.
It was a magical experience, an adventure we loved. We plan to return to this beautiful state of New Mexico and the fantastic Bosque del Apache Wild Life Refuge.