Here's the collection of photography from my Bosque del Apache trip. I'm really happy with some of these shots. Love the flocks of blackbirds with the red flashes, and to be there for the morning fly out was simply amazing. I can see why this place is such a draw for wildllife photographers, I would like to go back again sometime.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Wings and Wildflowers - A Year in Pictures
You can turn your blog into a book! This was fun. I had a good time posting pictures to this web site all year, so I turned it into a book. This is a "Year in Pictures" from this web site, Wings and Wildflowers. I'm already wondering what will be in volume 2 next year!
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Bosque del Apache - Snow Geese
The highlight of being at Bosque is being there for the morning fly out. Just before sunrise, 40,000 snow geese fly overhead. It was an amazing experience! All the photographers are jostling for a good position. You can see them coming, you hear the noisy sounds of honking and wings whirring, they fly overhead, and all of a sudden it's over. But it really is an amazing natural experience.
During the day, if your timing is right, you can get some of the experience again. Not quite the same, but spectacular in it's own right.
At times, the sky is filled with geese and all the cameras are clicking. Mine was too!
Amidst all the honking and flying, I found Bosque to be a peaceful, natural place and I can see why it is such a draw for photographers. It really was nature's playground.
Bosque del Apache - Red Winged Blackbirds
While the snow geese are the attraction for most photographers, my heart fell for the Red Winged Blackbirds.
When they tip their wings just right, you can see a flash of red. It is very difficult to get because you only have a split second. But I did manage to get a few red flashes. They may be hard to see here, but when you blow them up they are beautiful.
It just looks like a pretty black cloud. Amazing how they move, all together weaving in and out of everything.
Looks like black clouds, until they tip their wings, then you see the splashes of red. A beautiful display.
Bosque del Apache - Sandhill Cranes
The Sandhill Cranes are definitely one of the main attractions to Bosque.
They are mostly a dull gray color, but they have a red cap that adds a bit of color.
We found them on the Crane Pond in the morning, after the fly out. Nice, golden light on them.
When they fly the tips of their wings curl up.
Bosque del Apache - the deer
Amidst all the winged wildlife, Bosque del Apache is also home to a few deer.
I think these are just mule deer, but it was fun to see them just the same.
We had three sightings throughout the weekend.
American Widgeon
On my trip to Albuquerque to visit the Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge, we also found a small pond of these cute little American Widgeons. The male has beautiful green metallic coloring.
They make a cute little "squeak-squeak" sound.
I really loved photographing them, they are such cute little birds.
On the Widgeon Pond
On the Widgeon pond, there were other cute little birds, and some geese.
We found this little guy all by himself - he was the only one. We looked him up and found out that it's a Ring Necked Duck. Which we were kind of surprised at, because it is not his neck that has a ring on it, but whatever.
He had plenty of campanions in these geese.
And the Widgeons.
White Sands, New Mexico
Rising from the heart of the Tularosa Basin is one of the world's great natural wonders - the glistening white sands of New Mexico.
Here, great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert and created the world's largest gypsum dune field. To me, it looked and felt like walking on snowbanks in Minnesota!
We were there on Thanksgiving day, 2010. Mike and Elizabeth and I drive down from Socorro - 3 hours - and had a really fun day.
I love this picture of Mike. This is what we looked like all day, walking across the vastness of this amazing white sand, taking pictures. What a fun day.
Trudging up the snowbanks - oh, I mean the sand dunes.
I joked with friends before I left that my Thanksgiving dinner would probably be a hot dog out of a gas station, but we did find a Golden Corral that was open and we sat down - sandy, happy and having a great day.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Butterfly World, Tradewinds Park, FL
I hadn't been to Butterfly World for a while, it was time to go again. I love the aviary with all the colorful finches and hummingbirds.
The bird bath got plenty of activity.
Love these colorful finches!
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