# Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge (27,000 snow geese, no bugs or snakes)



## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge is in Central New Mexico, about an hour's drive south of Albuquerque. It is an important way station for a variety of birds during migration. The refuge pays farmers to grow crops there (it is in the Rio Grande Valley, so it is quite moist and fertile despite being in New Mexico) for the birds to eat. The best time to go there is in December and January, when there are typically (these are real numbers) about 27,000 snow geese there, and about 8,000 sandhill cranes. I've been there three times--The first two in December, the last one in November.

The biggest spectacle at Bosque is the morning blastoff of snow geese. They spend the night in big shallow water impoundments. Early each morning, the snow geese take off. If you're lucky, they do it all at once, seemingly by telepathy. It is amazing:










To answer the question in your mind, I got "bombed" twice during this blastoff, and my car, which was right behind me, was smothered in goose poop. But it was worth it!

Normally the birds go earlier than in the previous photo. If you have a good sunrise behind them, the combination of sunrise colors (if you are lucky) and New Mexico mountains is incredible:










After the excitement of the morning blastoff, you have three choices: If you get going promptly, you can go to a different area where it is easy to get flight shots of the big sandhill cranes taking off (they go individually or in very small groups, and don't have the drama of the snow geese mass blastoff). My flight technique s*cks, so I don't have any good crane flight shots to show, though it is still worth seeing. I usually go over to the agricultural field and photograph mass shots of the geese and cranes feeding.










This American Kestrel was shockingly bold, and let me get a nice shot of him. Kestrels are among the smallest types of falcons/hawks, and their prey is usually things like grasshoppers.










If you are lucky, it will snow when you are at Bosque, giving you some unique opportunities. This happened to me on my November trip. It didn't stick, but it looked awesome while it was coming down:










(this is another photographer, not me)

At the end of the day, you can watch the geese land en masse, and if you are lucky you'll have a good sunset for some final images. The dark spots on the water here are sandhill cranes.










If you go, be sure to go to the Owl Cafe (just north of the Refuge, ask anyone in the area) and have a green chile cheeseburger. YUM!


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## R. Doug (Aug 14, 2010)

Forget the Owl Cafe.  The Buckhorn Tavern just up the road from them has 'em beat.  In fact, the owner beat Bobby Flay in a Green Chili Cheeseburger Throwdown.


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## R. Doug (Aug 14, 2010)

Great pictures, by the way.


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

I lived in Socorro before the Owl Cafe was famous. I can't imagine a better green chili cheeseburger. Thanks for the pictures, Claw.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

oooh, birdies.....


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## R. Doug (Aug 14, 2010)

Next time you're there, Jeff, try 'em both.  It'll probably change your mind.  It did mine.


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