Bosque National Wildlife Refuge

This morning our family got up about 4 in the morning so we could drive down to the Bosque National Wildlife Refuge by sunrise. During the winter months hosts of migratory birds are wintering  here on the fields and ponds, before heading north for the summer. Seeing thousands of snow geese, ducks, and Sandhills Cranes all in one place is pretty spectacular.

Right around dawn the water birds begin to lift off in giant groups to go out and look for food.  We arrived shortly before dawn in 18 degrees, and shivered in the cold next to the wetland where thousands of snow geese were roosting. As we waited, just after sunrise, we listened to their talk and finally the swelling of noise just before they all took off in a magnificent thunder of wings and honking. After the snow geese took off we moved to where there were primarily Sandhill Cranes (dubbed the crane pools) and watched them and more snow geese taking off and landing. Birds like to take off into the wind, and as a photographer you not only hope to be in position to have them take off over your head, but also so the morning light falls flatteringly on their faces. Most National Wildlife Refuges are designed to provide optimum cover for the animals, not optimum hiking and animal viewing. While here it is similar, the number of wintering birds and visibility of their roosting areas from the driving loop through the refuge are actually pretty good. You aren't allowed off the area adjacent to the road, but this is close enough. The wind was perfect for the cranes this morning. While my husband has been the primary wildlife photographer of the family, I did take a few photos and will try to post some.

Meanwhile, here is an image I created with our iPhone of my husband and son sitting and watching the crane pools with their cameras. I was waiting in our van with my other children who were all a bit chilly.