Bernardo Refuge/Ladd Gordon Complex, NM

I’ve been down to the Bernardo about 10 or 12 times in recent weeks. It’s a really small tour loop at a bit over three miles, as I recall. The numbers of Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes are far higher than at Bosque, by my estimation. The fly ups (blast offs) are fantastic and often repeated. Flight shots are easy and still images aren’t really a challenge. There are plenty of cooperative Mountain Bluebirds both hovering and landed. I have seen several Kestrels and Northern Harriers, along with a few Mule Deer, Says Phoebes, Redtail Hawks, a few Gambel’s Quail and a roadrunner (normally there are more roadrunners). If you are in the area, I highly recommend checking it out, especially if you go to Bosque del Apache. I haven’t even bothered to go on down to Bosque in a while now. The number of visitors is still low at this time, but will increase when people become aware of it. Now is the time to be there before the migration starts. The road is currently in good shape and most visitors are in cars.

Joe

I keep hearing that Bosque isn't as good as it was 15-20 years ago, for photography. Maybe this place you speak of will become a sort of replacement for it. Thanks for mentioning what opportunities are available for species other than Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese. Many lifelong bird photographers already have thousands upon thousands of image files of those two species and are looking for something different to shoot.