Bosque Del Apache Trip Report, Dec 2008; Part 1

Dec 24th, 2008

- part 1 -

Ever since I first saw the famous 'Fire in the Mist' photograph from Arthur Morris, I knew I wanted to visit Bosque Del Apache wildlife refuge someday. Alas, that wish came true during this christmas holiday. Me and a good friend of mine flew to Albuquerque on 24th morning to spend the next few days photographing the migratory birds that call Bosque Del Apache as their wintering home.

After we reached Albuquerque, we picked our rental car and drove straight to the refuge. We didn't stop at our hotel in Socorro which was on our way, because neither of us wanted to miss an opportunity to photograph the "fly-in". I had called earlier and informed our hotel not to expect us until late in the evening. It takes about an hour and 20 minutes drive from the airport to the refuge. Socorro is a very small town about 20 minutes before the refuge and is the nearest town to the refuge where you will find a place to stay and eat.

We reached the wildlife refuge by 4 p.m and pulled into the visitor center to pickup the map and some local information on what spots to visit the next morning. However the visitor center was closed much earlier, the day being the christmas eve. We engaged in a conversation with few locals who stood outside. We knew beforehand that there were a couple of auto-loops around the refuge that we could take, but we were trying to figure out which spots would give us the best opportunity to stop and photograph. We didn't have a lot of time to explore ourselves as the sunset was fast approaching. We decided it would be best to ask the locals who knew better, and they offered us to take us to the flight deck. The flight deck is a wooden platform that extends well into the lake giving some great views for photographers to shoot from.

I thanked the friendly folks who took us there, then grabbed my camera and as I walked into the flight deck, I am invited suddenly by tens of thousands of snow geese some just standing a few feet away to some as far as the eyes could see.
A few minutes later, the sun begins to set behind the hills and the cloud scattered sky starts to paint the canvas with its wide palette of colors that no camera sensor is capable of capturing it accurately, except for your own eyes.
Hard to take my eyes off the scene, I stood there taking mind photographs. It was just beautiful. I had to remind myself I do have a camera in hand, so off I went clicking. On the opposite side of the hills, the geese had gathered much closer to each other and more sandhill cranes were flying in. The cranes and snow geese "fly-in" in large numbers at sunset to this spot to spend the rest of the night. By the time we got there, the fly-in was almost over with only the last of remaining birds flying in. By this time, the flight deck that we were standing on, was as crowded as the lake itself with all other nature enthusiasts, birders and photographers standing next to each other, the only difference being we were not as accommodating as the birds itself when it came to sharing the space, and often rubbing elbows into each other. We left the place after it got dark. We want to be back early the next morning to watch the spectacular "fly-out" or sometimes appropriately referred as "blast-off". Every morning, at sunrise, tens and thousands of birds take off in succession one row after another. They would make a sound that could even rival a Boeing 747 flying close to you. I was joking to my friend after I returned from the trip that every time I close my eyes I could ear the blast off sound. This place really left a lasting impression.

- to be continued -