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Bosque del Apache - in April
I know that April is not the prime time to go to Bosque, but since I will be
in the vicinity, I would like to know if it is worth a stop for a sunset/sunrise. I would be glad to photograph any birds, but roadrunners in particular. Any input is appreciated. Thanks. -- Judit Fabian University of Vermont (802)656-9722 |
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Bosque del Apache - in April
From: "Judit Fabian"
I know that April is not the prime time to go to Bosque, but since I will be in the vicinity, I would like to know if it is worth a stop for a sunset/sunrise. I would be glad to photograph any birds, but roadrunners in particular. Any input is appreciated. Hi Judy, Almost all the big flocks of cranes and light geese (snow, Ross, blue) are gone by April, so the great sunrise shots of thousands of birds in flight against colorful skies won't be available. I posted some shots from Bosque recently, you can see them at http://members.aol.com/hiltonfotogra...sque/index.htm ... most were made between mid-November and mid-February, but the avocet (row 2 column 3) and the white-faced ibis (r4c1) were shot the first week in April a couple years ago. I've never seen either species there in the winter so it was a nice bonus. I was on my way to White Sands and stopped by for an evening and morn ... basically they were draining the ponds so they could grow food for the cranes and geese next year and in a couple of spots the water had pooled near the road trapping thousands of fish, and there were several ibis and egrets and herons squabbling over this bounty. I have several nice shots of a snowy egret in threat mode shot with a 70-200 mm f/2.8, for example. When my wife saw the pics she wanted to go get her own avocet photo so we went back the third week in April but the ponds were pretty much dried out by then, with no avocets or ibis, though there were five GB herons nesting. In early April you should be able to see a lot of pheasants (similar to the one on the web site I referenced), since the males are fighting each other for territory and breeding rights and are more in the open and less skittish. I have a couple of good frames of two ringnecks squabbling, for example. I also saw more roadrunners in April but sometimes they will stick close to you and other times they are running away no matter what you do. Also there are good chances on coyotes in April, I found. Lots of ducks and I got good frames of red-wing blackbirds and what is either a Clark's grebe or a Western grebe (can't figure out which one, probably a Western). There are a lot of resident hawks, especially harriers, red-tails and kestrels, but the bald eagles were gone when we were there in April. And I saw and photographed several pyrrhuloxia in April as well. There were also good sized flocks of smaller shore birds attracted to the mud flats as the ponds dried out. I can't help much with the species, but at the visitor center they usually have a daily bird count and a listing of oddities seen recently so stop by the front desk and check it out on your way in. It's worth a stop, the earlier in April the better, just don't expect to see many cranes or geese. And White Sands is definitely worth a day or two for landscape, if you have time. Bill |
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