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

It is December and we have finished our season at Bosque del Apache.    It is always with mixed feelings as we leave this beautiful place to head to our lot in southern Arizona… we will miss our friends, we will miss the birds and the beauty, but we won’t miss the chilly weather!  (But we will avoid it!)

We have taken our 5th Wheel to a repair shop that we have used before to have them investigate the problem that I thought we might have.  They removed all of the exterior under the overhang and confirmed that “We have a problem, Houston!”   BUT, it can be fixed!  The trailer frame has multiple broken welds, this is the worst of them:

So we are having a “semi-vacation”, staying in a hotel and planning some outings while the rig is being repaired.  It should be ready in a few days.  While the repair is somewhat expensive, it isn’t nearly as expensive as buying a new 5th wheel!

Thanksgiving was a lovely time.  Our friend, Rachel, was traveling through the area on her way to Casa Grande Ruins National Monument and stopped for a few days with us.  We made a 20# turkey for the three of us (and lots of left-overs and a source for great turkey soup) with green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, and cranberry sauce … plus Sugar-Cream pie – the name says it all.   Oh, and yes we played some Wingspan!

Thanksgiving afternoon most of the volunteers gathered outside at the picnic pavilion for some shared food and desserts.  It was also a celebration of  the birthday of Jessica’s friend, David, so Stacy had made a delicious Carrot Cake for the gathering.

We taught some of the staff at the refuge to play Wingspan.  We had so much fun playing with Jessica, Bryden and Shayla.  They thought the food tokens that Judith and Cindi had made were fabulous, so now they are making their own!

But, as the title indicates, the refuge is mostly about the birds and other wildlife!

2021-10-21 American White Pelicans
2021-10-21 – Red-winged Blackbird (Female) on cattail
2021-10-21 – Northern Harrier (Female)
2021-10-24 – Cranes in Flight
2021-10-24 – Two Cranes
2021-10-28 – Here come the Cranes!
2021-10-28 – Bobcat
2021-10-28 – Bobcat
2021-10-29 – Judith with Tumbleweed
2021-10-29 – Snow Goose (dark morph – Blue Goose)
2021-10-29 – Happy Coyote
2021-10-30 – Skunk
2021-10-30 – Belted Kingfisher
2021-10-30 – Belted Kingfisher in flight
2021-10-30 – Cooper’s Hawk
2021-10-31 – Northern Harrier (female) in flight
2021-10-31 – Sharp-shinned Hawk (juvenile)

 

2021-11-07 – Landscape w/ G.B. Heron & Snow Geese
2021-11-07 – Redhead Ducks
2021-11-07 – Lesser Scaup
2021-11-12 – Snow Geese in flight
2021-11-12 – Bald Eagle
2021-11-12 – Snow Goose taking off
2021-11-12 – Two Snow Geese
2021-11-12 – Two photographers and a Great Blue Heron
2021-11-12 – Hooded Merganser with dinner
2021-11-13 – Hooded Merganser (male)
2021-11-14 – Great Blue Heron
2021-11-14 – Bosque del Apache landscape with cranes & geese
2021-11-14 – Three Cranes feeding
2021-11-19 – Say’s Phoebe
2021-11-19 – Hooded Merganser (male)
2021-11-19 – Hooded Merganser (pair)
2021-11-19 – White-tailed Kite hovering
2021-11-19 – Bufflehead
2021-11-20 – Sandhill Crane calling
2021-11-20 – Sandhill Cranes scenic
2021-11-21 – Wild Turkeys (all males)

At this time of the year the turkeys flock up in same-sex flocks, either all males or all females.  It’s like when teenagers go to the mall.

2021-11-26 – Snow Geese mass lift off
2021-11-26 – Eastern Phoebe

What is an Eastern Phoebe doing in central New Mexico?  I don’t know, but if you look at its range map it shows a little appendix sticking up to follow the Rio Grande.

2021-11-26 – Red-tailed Hawk
2021-11-27 – Two Bald Eagles
2021-11-27 – Red-tailed Hawk in flight
2021-11-27 – Five cranes in flight
2021-11-27 – Two Cranes flying over geese
2021-11-27 – Two Javelina
2021-11-27 – Javelina

The wildlife, the scenery … we will be back!

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