Yesterday, after arriving in Socorro and getting set up, I checked my phone messages and learned my Daughter, Carly, delivered a nice healthy baby girl at 930 am. Name - Sophia Elizabeth, weight - 6 lbs 11 ozs. Everyone is healthy!! Now I have to make some plans to get back to Raleigh NC for a couple days.
So today I spent a bit of time on the internet checking out flights from Albuquerque. My original plan was to stay in Socorro through Wednesday and then head east to White Sands, Carlsbad, Big Bend and beyond. If I stick to that plan, the next big city with a real airport is San Antonio TX, several days down the road. I would have to find a park near San Antonio (It wasn't in my plan to stay anywhere near there) and make arrangements to store the RV for a few days. As for leaving from Albuquerque, I'd have to take out a second mortgage to leave earlier than next Saturday - six days from now. So the hassle seems to be about equal -- spend a couple extra days here in Socorro and store the RV here, or continue traveling while arranging a flight from San Antonio (same cost either way). So I decide to stay here a couple extra days and leave from Albuquerque. I end up booking through Orbitz. I used to use Travelocity, but their software has become so bloated and their interface so user-hostile, I gave up on them. Orbitz was a relative breeze to use and the cost was the same. I'll be leaving Albuquerque next Saturday and coming back on the following Tuesday. I'll have a rental car waiting for me at the Raleigh-Durham Airport.
Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is a 57,000 acre refuge located on the northern edge of the Chihuahuan desert. The principle attraction of the refuge is 7,000 acres of floodplain where the waters of the Rio Grande have been diverted to create extensive wetlands and farmland. The water levels in the marshes are managed to promote the growth of native marsh plants for migrating birds. The farmlands are used by local farmers to grow crops for themselves and the migrating birds. They'll plant alfalfa and corn, harvesting the alfalfa and leaving the corn for the birds. The refuge staff also grows corn, along with winter wheat, clover and some native plants.
In the fall, the wetlands and farmland in the refuge attract tens of thousands of birds that make the refuge their winter home.
Today I took a short tour of the refuge. Since it's Sunday, all the local tourists were out in force. I did get a good idea of the layout and where the birds might be at sunrise and at sunset.
Up early for sunrise at 6:30. Ideally, you want to be in a position to start taking pictures about a half hour before the sun comes up over the horizon. That's the best light as it's a soft, warm light. After the sun comes up, the softer light lasts for about three hours or so - after which the light is harsh enough to create deep, dark shadows and very contrasty pictures. Both the Sandhill Cranes and the Snow Geese roost for the night in shallow marsh to keep predators away for the night. Predation in the refuge comes mainly from coyotes and I suppose they don't sneak up on the birds too well in the water!
This was taken at about 630 am just at sunrise as a trio of Sandhill Cranes left their roost for feeding somewhere else on the refuge. The sun was at my back.
Here's a shot taken perhaps ten minutes later. Again, Sandhill Cranes leaving their roost. You can see the sun starting to light the hills beyond.
In another ten minutes, the sun is high enough to start illuminating the roost.
Here's a flight of Snow Geese coming in for a landing.
With flaps extended and landing gear down.
Sandhill Cranes feeding in the corn.