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by prairiewing on Thu Mar 05, 2015 5:04 pm
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I'm going to be in and around Albuquerque for 10 days with some time to spend.  Never been to Bosque del Apache and wonder what it will be like then.  Also thinking of going to White Sands.  
Sound like a good plan?  Any comments and/or advice will be appreciated.  Thanks in advance.
Pat Gerlach
 

by Blck-shouldered Kite on Thu Mar 05, 2015 5:41 pm
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Two great places to visit.  I did.  I combined the trip with my daughter's graduation from Southwest College in Santa Fe.  Love both Bosque and White Sands and will be back again.  You should catch SantaFe Joe here on NSN and he can really fill you in on Bosque.

You and I think alike on these things because those are the two places I chose to not miss on my NM trip.  I would like to have tried calling in coyotes at Bosque. Regret I did not. Saw a group of them but was unable to get any images.  The other thing I would like to photograph in NM are snakes.  

Pat, I have seen your outstanding work through the decades and I think  you are interested in all things in nature and very knowledgeable regarding them.

Now you might be there in a very good month for photographing snakes.  If you are interested read on.   AYK, snakes are poikilothermic and are totally dependent on their position in their environment for a comfortable/operable body temp.  They are intolerant of high temps as much as they are of low temps.  I believe March is perfect for them.  But being from Maine, I am not certain of what March is like in NM.  If it is still cold, they will be basking and I would start looking around rocky outcrops that have a Southern exposure.

I am sure you remember some of John Shaws images of White Sands taken back in the 70's!

Please take a look at my gallery on my NM trip:

http://robertkingimages.smugmug.com/Oth ... /i-dHS5dDJ

Also, I have a short article on my website ( http://itsaboutnature.net/ ) that discusses a lot about the Cottonmouth, including some on temperature regulation. The title is Cottonmouth Encounter.  One reason I love NM is because it has such a diversity of reptiles.  I want to get out there for an extended period in the future.  

New Mexico truly is enchanted!

Robert King

PS:  On the way back to Albuquerque and the flight back, I cut across the Alamogordo Valley west to east ( as I recall) and stumbled onto the Valley of Fire.  As I rushed along the highway (seeing nobody for probably at least a full hour!!!...I love that about NM), I spotted something in the very center line of the state highway and applied my brakes hard.  I put it in reverse and rushed back to what I thought I saw, all the while keeping an eye on my rear view.  When the animal I thought I saw came into closer view in my mirror, I stopped abreast of it and was thrilled to see.....a tarantula!   I photographed it before helping it the rest of the way across.  But the photos were lost.  

Oh, another thing, I stayed in a nice, clean hotel in Socorro when I spent days in Bosque.   

Have fun!  You will love New Mexico.  Pat...my next NM trip will be to the Aldo Leopold wilderness.....mountain lions, large ungulates, bear, red wolves I think too.
 

by SantaFeJoe on Thu Mar 05, 2015 6:25 pm
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Here is a good place to keep up with Bosque at any time:

https://www.facebook.com/BosquedelApacheNWR

Or call the visitor center at (575)835-1828 for info. Mid-March is good for ducks, White Pelicans, very likely White-faced Ibis, some shorebirds, Javelina, possibly Rio Grande wild turkeys, Great Horned owls and who knows what else. Don't miss a walk down the boardwalk. It is usually productive for cormorants, Western Grebes, White Pelicans and much more at this time of year. I've always said that for about the first 150 trips, I saw something new on each trip! I still see new things after about 350 trips.

White Sands is nice at this time of year, but the winds can be brutal some days. Protect your equipment well from the dust, if it's windy. It's nice because there are usually not a lot of people there now and the winds keep the dunes pristine and renewed.

The Valley of Fires is a cool place for volcanic formations. There are some cool flows right off the highway. I'll post a photo of one formation just to the side of the highway in a while. It is between San Antonio and Carrizozo. If you go to both Bosque and White Sands, this is a road that you may want to take.

http://www.blm.gov/nm/st/en/prog/recrea ... fires.html

Valley of Fires Photos from net
Image

Robert said:
 I would like to have tried calling in coyotes at Bosque. Regret I did not. 
Not legal to do so within the refuge, but can be done in the surrounding area, if you choose to do so.

If you have some extra time in ABQ, try the Rio Grande Nature Center for shots of Wood Ducks, Mallards, Ring-necked ducks, turtles and more. It's located at the west end of Candelaria. Here are a couple of links (not the best website):

http://www.rgnc.org/

http://www.rgnc.org/research.htm

Joe
Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.  -Pablo Picasso
 

by prairiewing on Thu Mar 05, 2015 10:49 pm
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Thank you Robert and Joe. Your information is most helpful in planning my trip.
Pat Gerlach
 

by rajandesai on Thu Mar 05, 2015 11:01 pm
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If you are going to visit White Sands, call the visitor center. You can arrange for early (before sunrise) entrance by paying extra money. This can guarantee pristine dunes and you can be at the right place before the sunrise.
 

by SantaFeJoe on Thu Mar 05, 2015 11:50 pm
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I forgot to mention, at Bosque you'll probably need insect repellent. Mosquitos can be bad at sundown.

Joe
Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.  -Pablo Picasso
 

by prairiewing on Fri Mar 06, 2015 12:18 pm
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Trajandesai wrote:If you are going to visit White Sands, call the visitor center. You can arrange for early (before sunrise) entrance by paying extra money. This can guarantee pristine dunes and you can be at the right place before the sunrise.
Thank you for that information. I'll probably do that. 
Pat Gerlach
 

by SantaFeJoe on Sat Mar 07, 2015 12:35 am
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I went down to Bosque this afternoon. It's pretty quiet right now. There were about 275 light geese with about 3/4 of them being Ross's, about 200 Canada Geese, 2 very cooperative Javelina, a roadrunner, one coyote, around 10 deer, plenty of hawks (mostly Harriers), falcons (Kestrels mostly), lots of ducks, 4 Sandhill Cranes, tons of White-crowned Sparrows just outside the visitor center in a tree and on the ground,  White-winged Doves, a Spotted Towhee, Redwing Blackbirds, several Grackles, a skunk, lots of turtles at the rookery, only one cormorant, and a GBH that was really close and cooperative. I'm sure I'm forgetting many other things. Overall, for the amount of time I spent there (about 3 hours), it was very productive. The Crane Ponds are drying up fast, but there were still quite a few ducks there.

Joe
Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.  -Pablo Picasso
 

by prairiewing on Sat Mar 07, 2015 3:20 pm
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Thanks Joe. Never been there so I'm looking forward to seeing it.
Pat Gerlach
 

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