Archive for the ‘San Antonio’ Category

More cranes & geese

Thursday, December 2nd, 2010

A congested corn field at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge filled with sandhill cranes and snow geese. The geese suddenly took flight. Looking at my pictures on my computer, saw a coyote in the background that I had not noticed when I was taking the pictures. The cranes stood their ground.

Northern pintails

Red-tailed hawk, light adult. It was fussing above some snow geese. Maybe it knew the geese would all take flight if it flew toward them.

Also saw a bald eagle, but it was too far away to get a good picture.

Gambel’s quail and a canyon towhee near my campground.

Below, three swans and sandhill cranes coming in to roost.

Posted in hawk, Northern pintail, quail, San Antonio, sandhill crane, snow geese, Socorro, swan, towhee, wildlife refuge | No Comments »

Bosque del Apache NWR

Monday, November 29th, 2010

Have been staying close to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge for close to a week. It’s been cold, as I guess it has been over a lot of the US, in the teens at night and the 40′s and 50′s during the day. Still just need the furnace at night.

Saw the coyote in the top picture wondering around the refuge on Saturday. Just a little earlier in the day had seen a coyote, possibly the same one, in a field with some sandhill cranes. It always surprises me that the cranes don’t fly away on seeing a coyote. They do have a weapon in their bill. They can stab a coyote with it, as long as the coyote doesn’t come from behind.

The last two pictures are from Monday morning. The coyote in the third picture has just nabbed a duck in the same area as seen in the picture with the cranes. On leaving the refuge, saw three young, healthy looking coyotes (one seen in the bottom picture).

Adult sandhill crane (top picture) and two juvenile cranes (bottom picture).

Northern shovelers

Below, photographers bundled up to see the cranes fly in to roost.

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More from Bosque del Apache

Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008

Love watching the sandhill cranes. Saw one eagle, but it was to far away to get a good picture. Did not see as many grebes this visit, which was disappointing.

The Socorro area is so nice. Would like to try and stay 4 or 5 weeks next year.

You often see two cranes have a beak-to-beak face off, with their wings up…probably a territory issue. One usually ends up walking strutting away.

I stopped at a pond mid-day where there were initially a few geese. Then wave upon wave of geese flew in until the pond was packed. It was like a call was sent out for all the geese in the refuge to go to this one pond. When I drove by later in the day, they were all gone.

Above, geese settle into a cornfield at Bosque del Apache. They are not eating, but rather packed in like they were in the pond.

Posted in San Antonio, sandhill crane, snow geese, Socorro, wildlife refuge | No Comments »

Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge

Thursday, November 27th, 2008

Have moved around 35 miles south, from Bernardo to San Antonio, New Mexico where the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge is located. Lots of geese, sandhill cranes, and other photographers. Have to admit to some lens envy. There are scads of photographers here with the long, super expensive lenses.

Posted in geese, San Antonio, sandhill crane, snow geese, wildlife refuge | No Comments »