Bosque del Apache is going to the birds!

Bosque del Apache is still a magical place to visit and to volunteer. We miss several long-time volunteers who have retired from volunteer retirement, but are happy to see many others who have returned this year, and we are meeting and becoming acquainted with other new volunteers. But all-in-all it’s about the wildlife and the birds. So this installment of our travels will be mostly pictures of the wonderful things we have seen here on the refuge, with a short intermission to recap our family trip to Santa Fe.

2021-09-08  Great Blue Heron – Landing
2021-09-08  Great Blue Heron – Fishing
2021-09-08  Great Blue Heron – Fishing
2021-09-08  Neotropical Cormorant – Juvenile
2021-09-10  American Kestral

2021-09-10  Great Blue HeronAbout the middle of September we had an EXCEPTIONAL day.  We saw the bull elk, which we had seen only once before in our four seasons at BdA!  Then we saw a mountain lion!

2021-09-12  Bull Elk
2021-09-12  Mountain Lion – What we saw
2021-09-12  Mountain Lion – a visitor’s cell phone photo!

But we saw some other good stuff that day as well…

2021-09-12  American White Pelicans
2021-09-12  Black-Crowned Night Heron
2021-09-18  American Coot
2021-09-18  Savannah Sparrow
2021-09-22  Striped Plateau Lizard — About 4″ long, tip to tail
2021-09-25  American White Pelican
2021-09-30 Long-billed Dowitcher
2021-09-30 Red-tailed Hawk
2021-10-01 American Avocet with fish
2021-10-02 Great Blue Heron on still pond
2021-10-03 Boardwalk Pond with Great Blue Herons
2021-10-03 Least Sandpiper reflection
2021-10-08 Belted Kingfisher – female
2021-10-08 Roadrunner

Judith’s niece, Kajsa, and her son Anders,  came to New Mexico for a mother/son vacation.  We joined them for a couple days in Santa Fe while they visited with Beau and Luc y.  We saw the sights, went to many restaurants, and visited a fun playground.

2021-10-10 Playground
2021-10-10 Playground
2021-10-10 Playground
2021-10-10 Playground

We visited the Folk Art Museum and the Museum of  Indian Arts and Culture.

2021-10-11 Boy in the Maze
2021-10-11 Museum of  Indian Arts and Culture
2021-10-11 Museum of  Indian Arts and Culture
2021-10-11 Folk Art Museum
2021-10-11 Folk Art Museum

2021-10-11 Masks – Folk Art Museum

 

Then they all came to visit the refuge with Beau and Lucy sleeping in a tent near our rig.  When the 2 AM train came through, Lucy was certain that it was running right through their tent!

221-10-15
221-10-15

A few days later we had a coyote visit our campsite!  The neighbors dog knew better than to go outside while she was there!

2021-10-13 Coyote at Camp
2021-10-13 Chihuahuan Raven taking flight
2021-10-15 Snow Goose
2021-10-15 Gambel’s Quail

We saw a Bobcat who had just taken a shortcut through a pond.  She was dripping wet!

2021-10-17 Bobcat
2021-10-17 Bobcat
2021-10-17 Northern Flicker (Red Shafted)
2021-10-18 Swainson’s Hawk – juvenile with slightly damaged wing
2021-10-18 Swainson’s Hawk – juvenile with slightly damaged wing
2021-10-22 Red-winged Blackbird – female
2021-10-22 American White Pelicans
2021-10-22 Javelina

It is the middle of October, and the Cranes have arrived!

2021-10-18 Two Sandhill Cranes
2021-10-19 Sandhill Cranes Fly-In
2021-10-19 Sandhill Cranes Fly-In
2021-10-19 Sandhill Cranes Fly-In
2021-10-19 Sandhill Cranes Fly-In
2021-10-19 Sandhill Cranes Fly-In
2021-10-19 Sandhill Cranes Fly-In

We suspect that we have an issue with the frame of our 5th wheel, so we have not been making outings and taking the rig… but we have been enjoying the refuge!

 

Next Post:  Bosque delApache – Part 2 — It’s all about the birds!

Previous Post:  Utah with friends and arrival at Bosque del Apache