Bosque Bird Watcher's RV Park, San Antonio NM
Approaching Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, April 21, 2010
Bosque Bird Watcher's RV Park is a small mom & pop operation on the west side of NM 1 the south end of San Antonio, New Mexico offering basic gravel parking lot type sites with full hookups. It's nothing fancy but is quiet and clean and handy to the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.
Bosque Bird Watcher's RV Park, San Antonio NM
- This is a basic, small Mom & Pop RV Park with full hookups.
- Verizon cell phone and Broadband service are available here with a strong signal.
- Locate Bosque Bird Watcher's RV Park on my Night Camps map
- Click for Google street view
- Check the weather in San Antonio NM
Nights I've camped here
- Wednesday, May 1, 2013 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- That's all folks. I quit. I've run out of steam here. This fulltiming Journal has run its course. Image: Great Horned Owl, Mother of Two, Pancho Villa State Park, Columbus NM, March 29, 2013.
- Tuesday, January 15, 2013 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Sandhill Cranes, Bernardo Wildlife Management Area, Bernardo NM, January 15, 2013.
- Monday, January 14, 2013 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Birding the Bosque, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 13, 2013.
- Sunday, January 13, 2013 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Zero, Sandhill Cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 13, 2013.
- Saturday, January 12, 2013 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Snow Goose, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 12, 2013.
- Friday, January 11, 2013 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Gear down, Sandhill Crane, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 11, 2013.
- Thursday, January 10, 2013 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: ..hmmpf, Snow Geese, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 10, 2013.
- Wednesday, January 9, 2013 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Whoa!, Sandhill Crane, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 9, 2013.
- Tuesday, January 8, 2013 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Ross's Goose, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 8, 2013.
- Monday, January 7, 2013 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Drop in any time, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 7, 2013.
- Sunday, January 6, 2013 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: A leg to stand on, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 5, 2013.
- Saturday, January 5, 2013 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: A misty morning, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 5, 2013.
- Friday, January 4, 2013 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Afternoon, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 4, 2013.
- Thursday, January 3, 2013 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Hey! Watch where you point that thing!, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 2, 2013.
- Wednesday, January 2, 2013 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- It got a wee bit chilly in the neighborhood last night. It was a windy 12 degrees at eight this morning when I shot this guy/gal taking off from his/her night standing frozen in the pond. Several of them were flying out with legs tucked up this morning. They don't usually do that. It can't be very aerodynamic. Perhaps the waste heat from the extra energy it took to fly the bird was welcome this morning. Image: Brrr..., Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 2, 2013.
- Tuesday, January 1, 2013 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Happy New Year, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 1, 2013.
- Monday, December 31, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Chupadera Peak, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, December 31, 2012.
- Sunday, December 30, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Eagle Flight Deck, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, December 29, 2012.
- Saturday, December 29, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Baybreak, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, December 29, 2012.
- Friday, December 28, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Snow Geese, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, December 28, 2012.
- Thursday, December 27, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Dawn, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, December 27, 2012.
- Wednesday, December 26, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- This is number 1,460 of the 1,523 pictures I shot this morning, by far the most I've yet to shoot at one go. Some days the stars align and we get lucky enough to recognize the alignment. This morning dawned as one of those days. Here I stood at waters edge, toes in the pond, camera before me on tripod pointed at a vast sea of Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes in front of me, and a substantial sea of photographers beside and behind me, with a cacophony of bird calls and camera shutters breaking the dawn's quiet. Image: Sandhill Crane, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, December 26, 2012.
- Tuesday, December 25, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Sandhill Cranes on a quiet afternoon, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, December 25, 2012.
- Monday, December 24, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Ghost Rider, Sandpiper at dawn, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, December 24, 2012.
- Sunday, December 23, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Morning Ablutions, Sandhill Cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, December 23, 2012.
- Monday, December 17, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Blue Ice, Sandhill Crane, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, December 17, 2012.
- Sunday, December 16, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Sky Blue Pink, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, December 16, 2012.
- Saturday, December 15, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Sandhill Crane, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, December 8, 2012.
- Friday, December 14, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Sandhill Cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, December 7, 2012.
- Thursday, December 13, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: A Crane's Life, Winter, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, December 12, 2012.
- Wednesday, December 12, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Sandhill Cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, December 12, 2012.
- Tuesday, December 11, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Snow Goose, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, December 8, 2012.
- Monday, December 10, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Seven feet, Sandhill Crane, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, December 8, 2012.
- Sunday, December 9, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Sandhill Cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, December 8, 2012.
- Saturday, December 8, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Snow Goose, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, December 8, 2012.
- Friday, December 7, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Liftoff, Sandhill Cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, December 6, 2012.
- Thursday, December 6, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: I'm outa here Sandy, this place is crawlin' with 'em, Sandhill Crane, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, December 6, 2012.
- Wednesday, December 5, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Blup!, Eared Grebe, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, November 30, 2012.
- Tuesday, December 4, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Going Down, Eared Grebe, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, November 30, 2012.
- Monday, December 3, 2012 - San Antonio Mechanic Shop, San Antonio NM
- Time for a tuneup. About the only thing I've done to this poor old Lazy Daze tuneup wise is change the spark plugs years ago. Salvador is going to change the plugs, install new plug wires, distributer cap and rotor. And change the transmission fluid, also long overdue. Things are so hard to reach on this big V8 in a van chassis this is a two day job so I get the dubious distinction of sleeping here again with my head 10 feet from busy US 380. Image: Eared Grebe, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, November 30, 2012.
- Sunday, December 2, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Flyover, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, November 30, 2012.
- Saturday, December 1, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: First Rays, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, November 30, 2012.
- Friday, November 30, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Sunrise, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, November 30, 2012.
- Thursday, November 29, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Stretching a wing, Sandhill Crane, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, November 25, 2012.
- Wednesday, November 28, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Smile, Snow Geese, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, November 22, 2012.
- Tuesday, November 27, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Final Approach, Sandhill Crane, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, November 22, 2012.
- Monday, November 26, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Sandhill Cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, November 22, 2012.
- Sunday, November 25, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- A coyote showed up at the pond this afternoon, intent on finding a meal amongst the snow geese I presume. (S)he wandered around the edge of the pond with the cranes for a while and then left. I suspect a healthy crane is more than a coyote wants to take on. The coyote seemed wary of them and they in their turn kept the coyote surrounded at a respectful distance. Image: Coyote, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, November 22, 2012.
- Saturday, November 24, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Getting a picture of these little grebes is a bit of a challenge. When feeding they spend maybe 10 seconds on the surface followed by 45 seconds submerged in this turbid water. They go down here ... and pop up over there just long enough to get the camera focused on them and down they go again only to pop up way ... over ... there. Rinse and repeat. Image: Eared Grebe, Juvenile, Diving, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, November 22, 2012.
- Friday, November 23, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Eared Grebe, Juvenile, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, November 22, 2012.
- Thursday, November 22, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Snow Goose, Juvenile, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, November 22, 2012.
- Wednesday, November 21, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Seed head, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, November 21, 2012.
- Tuesday, November 20, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Job well done. Salvador is probably the most conscientious and competent mechanic I've ever worked with. He runs his one man shop on a pretty relaxed schedule and that is just fine with me. It's a fair exchange for good work at a fair price. In fact I'll be coming back in a week or two for a full tuneup and transmission service. Image: Backlit, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, November 10, 2012.
- Tuesday, November 13, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Hangup, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, November 11, 2012.
- Monday, November 12, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- There's no room at the inn. It's Festival of the Cranes season. Thanks to a leaky radiator I managed to wrangle a prime spot from Billy to boondock out in the bushes behind the shed for the duration. Image: Daybreak, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, November 11, 2012.
- Sunday, November 11, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Old Yaller, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, November 10, 2012.
- Saturday, November 10, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Aster, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, November 10, 2012.
- Friday, November 9, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Boom!, Snow geese flying out, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, November 9, 2012.
- Wednesday, November 7, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Off to Brekkie, Sandhill Cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, November 7, 2012.
- Tuesday, November 6, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Takeoff, Sandhill Cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, November 6, 2012.
- Friday, November 2, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Seed head, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, November 2, 2012.
- Thursday, November 1, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Knee deep, Snow geese, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, November 1, 2012.
- Wednesday, October 31, 2012 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- I'm back. At least I think so. I left Red Rock on October 16th with no interest in continuing this daily journal of my winter travels and decided to drop it. But then this week I stopped back at San Antonio NM and the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge for the first time in a couple of years and find I'm out taking pictures of those magnificent Sandhill Cranes again and I want to share some. So I will, at least for a while. We'll see how it goes. Image: Night Watch, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, October 31, 2012.
- Tuesday, March 15, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Oh poo. The battery in my 2-1/2 year old MacBook Pro is starting to swell. Good thing I'm on my way to Albuquerque - I can have it looked at at the Apple store while I'm up there getting the new refrigerator. Image: Poo, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, March 6, 2011.
- Monday, March 14, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- The acequia has been running a few days now - can spring be far behind? Image: Spring at the Acequia, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, March 6, 2011.
- Sunday, March 13, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Gambel's Quail, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, March 5, 2011.
- Saturday, March 12, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Gambel's Quail, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, March 5, 2011.
- Friday, March 11, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Gambel's Quail, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, March 5, 2011.
- Thursday, March 10, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- I was referred to Tom's RV Services and Sales in Albuquerque as a good shop to install a new refrigerator. They ordered one and will install it next Thursday. Excuse me, I need to get another bag of ice. Image: Black-throated Sparrow, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, March 5, 2011.
- Wednesday, March 9, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- It looks like I could get this refrigerator pulled out, rebuilt, and reinstalled for maybe $400 - $500 less than the cost of having a new one installed. But I'd have a 19 year old refrigerator for 2/3 the price of a new one... I'll get a new one. Image: On the Fence, White-crowned Sparrow, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, March 5, 2011.
- Tuesday, March 8, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- What are my options? However I approach it this dead refrigerator is going to be a big deal. I have two choices - repair this one or replace it with a new one. Rebuilt cooling coils are available online for around $500.00. A new refrigerator online runs around $1,000 - $1,300 plus shipping. Image: Drink, White-crowned Sparrow, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, March 5, 2011.
- Monday, March 7, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Yup, refrigerator is dead. Image: Get a Grip, White-crowned Sparrow, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, March 5, 2011.
- Sunday, March 6, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Why is that ice loose in the freezer? Preliminary investigation failed to turn up any obvious reason, like no power to the fridge. Oh darn, we may be in for another lap in the barrel... Image: White-crowned Sparrow, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, March 5, 2011.
- Saturday, March 5, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: White-crowned Sparrow, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, March 5, 2011.
- Friday, March 4, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Long-billed Dowitchers, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 23, 2011.
- Thursday, March 3, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Wubba Wubba Wubba, Red-tailed Hawk with Snow Goose, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 23, 2011.
- Wednesday, March 2, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Back 'em up folks! I'm sitting here writing this post on my iPad while my laptop hard drive is being restored from a backup. Image: Morning Routine, Sandhill Cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 23, 2011.
- Tuesday, March 1, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Snow Goose, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 23, 2011.
- Monday, February 28, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- This Red-tailed Hawk and a Raven shared a Snow Goose dinner at ponds edge the other day, seemingly ignored by the several thousand Geese floating about. Image: Damn Feathers, Red-tailed Hawk with Snow Goose, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 23, 2011.
- Sunday, February 27, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Silence. The Sandhill Cranes are gone. The Snow Geese are gone. The valley is eerily quiet. Have a good summer guys. Image: Long-billed Dowitchers, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 23, 2011.
- Saturday, February 26, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Spring is in the wind. The last of the Cranes have been climbing thermals in small groups all afternoon, disappearing out of sight, gaining altitude for the first stage of a long flight north. Image: Anticipation, Sandhill Cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 23, 2011.
- Friday, February 25, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Several thousand Snow Geese spent the afternoon at the pond with me Wednesday. I took way too many pictures but none that adequately communicate how many Geese were here. Image: Snow Geese, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 23, 2011.
- Thursday, February 24, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- I've been asked how I made the House Finch portrait I posted Tuesday. Here's what you do. First, like me, go take a bunch of bad pictures. Before throwing the whole bunch in the digital dust bin, try to salvage something. Image: House Finch, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, February 21, 2011.
- Wednesday, February 23, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Bet you didn't know the Flicker has a really long tongue. Image: Northern Flicker, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, February 21, 2011.
- Tuesday, February 22, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- The House Finch was originally a bird of the western United States and Mexico. In 1940 a small number of finches were turned loose on Long Island, New York, after failed attempts to sell them as cage birds (“Hollywood finches”). Image: House Finch, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, February 21, 2011.
- Monday, February 21, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Male Northern Flickers sport either red or black moustachial stripes. There's a Yellow-shafted group with a red nape, gray crown, tan face, yellow under wings and tail and a black moustache on the male. There's a Red-shafted group with a gray nape, brown crown, gray face, reddish under wings and tail and a red moustache on the male. Image: Red Moustache, Northern Flicker, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, February 21, 2011.
- Sunday, February 20, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- One often sees Sandhill Cranes jumping and bobbing and fluffing their feathers and generally making a ruckus settling territorial disputes. They can be quite entertaining. Image: Morning at the Pond, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 18, 2011.
- Saturday, February 19, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Last week I took a ride up to Albuquerque to pick up a Verizon iPhone (a whole 'nother story) and while playing with it and searching the net for tips and tricks I came across mention of a rather serious security issue losing an unlocked smart phone presents. One's entire address book is usually synced to these devices making the whole shebang available to whoever steals or finds the phone. Image: Thank You Thank You, iPhone, iPod touch, iPad Lockscreen, February 19, 2011.
- Friday, February 18, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Focus, Sandhill Cranes, Snow Geese, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 14, 2011.
- Thursday, February 17, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Incoming, Snow Geese, Sandhill Cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 14, 2011.
- Wednesday, February 16, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Focus, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 14, 2011.
- Tuesday, February 15, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Aermotor, Eurasian Collared-dove, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, February 10, 2011.
- Monday, February 14, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Silhouette, Sandhill Cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 9, 2011.
- Sunday, February 13, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Reflection, Sandhill Cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 9, 2011.
- Saturday, February 12, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Working Late, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 9, 2011.
- Friday, February 11, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Merlin, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, February 9, 2011.
- Thursday, February 10, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- It's twelve seconds after lift-off and the gaggle is gaining altitude, headed for breakfast. Image: Outbound, Snow Geese, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 8, 2011.
- Wednesday, February 9, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- This is my next photo, shot a mere six seconds after yesterday's picture that anticipated this explosion of snow geese. From the sudden quacking cacophony I sensed something was up and swung my camera away from some cranes I was focussed on and just in time too. Wow! Image: Go!, Snow Geese, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 8, 2011.
- Tuesday, February 8, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- People travel miles to see the explosion that comes next. Now I know why. A few thousand Snow Geese resting on the ice out beyond the cranes suddenly stood up en masse, turned, and blasted off in a furious, roaring, quacking, cloud of flapping wings. Image: Ready, Set, .., Snow Geese, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 8, 2011.
- Monday, February 7, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Instead of walking down to the first pond where the cranes roost, this morning I drove down so I could shoot with my tripod without carrying it the mile down and mile back. In the end, a fortunate bit of laziness perhaps - I might not have gotten sharp enough shots to identify the can the crane was dealing with without that tripod. Who knows. Image: Impaled, Sandhill Crane, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 6, 2011.
- Sunday, February 6, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- What can I say? Maybe the can will come off. Maybe not. Knowing now how cranes drink I can see this can becoming quickly lethal. It's one thing to be short on food - quite another to be short on water. In any case, help will be on the scene tomorrow morning to assess the situation. Image: Impaled, Sandhill Crane, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 6, 2011.
- Saturday, February 5, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- The worst is over I hope. I awoke this morning to a sunny day knowing I had to fill my water tank before nightfall. It's running on fumes. Then I discovered my efforts to conserve water these last few days meant I was not using enough to keep the sink drains from freezing. The pipe into the gray water tank froze. I got that thawed out just in time to learn the park's water supply is shut down due to a broken faucet. Image: Recovering, San Antonio NM, February 5, 2011.
- Friday, February 4, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- This was a brutal storm we're just coming out of and I got lucky. John Farr has a great post today at FarrFeed about his reaction to the crisis up in Taos when the natural gas supply went down and how he and his dear wife coped. Image: Sandhill Crane, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 21, 2011.
- Thursday, February 3, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- New record lows were set across a large swath of the west central States yesterday and last night and last night set a new record low temperature for my time living with this old Lazy Daze, exceeding even the ten below we survived at Ghost Ranch back on December 26, 2009. I stuck my head out the door about 4:30AM, pointed my infared thermometer and shot a temp down on the step. Sixteen below zero! Image: Ghost Ranch Camp, Abiquiu NM, December 24, 2009.
- Wednesday, February 2, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Sorry I'm a bit preoccupied. Two degrees above zero and lower temps to come - that'll grab an RVer's attention. There's not much to report, all is well, but I gotta go. Once I feel comfortable that I have the rig running stably I'll come back and fill in some details of my recovery from getting caught yesterday with my systems down by this huge winter storm sweeping the continent. Image: Screenshot, NOAA Weather, San Antonio NM, February 2, 2011.
- Tuesday, February 1, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- I blew it. I finished yesterday knowing we were in for a bit of a blow with some snow and wind and, by Wednesday morning, bitter cold, like below zero. So I went to bed planning to dump tanks, then go into Socorro for supplies today. Image: Diversion Canal, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 24, 2011.
- Monday, January 31, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Diversion, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 24, 2011.
- Sunday, January 30, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- It's a close call but I lean a bit toward the subtlety of the American Wigeon over the brashness of the Mallard for best-of-class in duck design. Those are two magnificent birds, but now if I were to take the subtly complex design of a Wigeon head and neck and stick them on the slick Mallard body I'd have a... Image: Wigeon v Mallard, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 24, 2011.
- Saturday, January 29, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- I don't think I had ever heard of the American Wigeon until I started identifying the birds from my morning taking pictures at the Bosque last Monday. Image: American Wigeon, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 24, 2011.
- Friday, January 28, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Why do ducks swim in a row? Is it really as simple as follow-the-leader being the easiest way to move a group through the reeds as suggested by Yahoo!7 Answers? Sounds good for followers but what's in it for the leader? Image: Mallards, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 24, 2011.
- Thursday, January 27, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- My site redesign is coming along. Light may appear at the end of the tunnel any day now. I surely hope so. Remember a couple weeks ago I said I was going to redo the bones of this website to make it easier to maintain and update? What a ride that project has turned out to be. Image: Blue-winged Teal Female, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 24, 2011.
- Wednesday, January 26, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- It should be a simple matter to take this photo into Photoshop and remove the weed off this guy's bill, and I'm sure it is, but I'll be darned if I can do it without investing the time to learn to navigate that bloody obtuse program. I find Adobe's software interfaces in general to be arrogantly obtuse to navigate and Photoshop is especially so. Image: Mallard, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 24, 2011.
- Tuesday, January 25, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- After posting yesterday's picture of the Mallards and Wigeons I waded into my pictures from yesterday's shoot looking for some I could zoom in on to show off the bird's wonderful green iridescence that caught my eye in the reflected morning light as I was snapping away. Well, the glow I thought I was capturing came out a little flat and mottled. Image: Mallards, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 24, 2011.
- Monday, January 24, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- On a whim I ended up spending the day down at the Bosque today. That wasn't my intent when I crawled out of bed this morning but what the heck, I'm retired, I can play my whims as they come. My intent was to run up to Socorro to see if I could find a replacement for the balky DeLonghi radiant heater that started acting up a couple nights back ( just as a cold snap set in don't you know) but I have other sources of heat; that could wait. Image: Mallards & Wigeons, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 24, 2011.
- Sunday, January 23, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- When I was rummaging through my files looking for a picture to put up yesterday, I stumbled on a series of pictures of this crane moving in a strange way. Drinking I decided. I guess it wouldn't work to sip through that long beak, hence the dip-and-swoop to let water run downhill. Image: Glug, Sandhill Crane, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 17, 2011.
- Saturday, January 22, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- What do cranes eat anyway? From what I can see, here they seem to be eating corn, which is grown for them, and the tubers of marsh grasses. Image: Foraging, Sandhill Cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 17, 2011.
- Friday, January 21, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Have a Nice Day, Sandhill Crane, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 17, 2011.
- Thursday, January 20, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Breakfast at the Roost, Sandhill Cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 17, 2011.
- Wednesday, January 19, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Untitled, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 19, 2011.
- Tuesday, January 18, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Thyme is my favorite herb; I use it in everything. Last summer I picked up a big container of organic thyme at a local farmers market. It's almost empty so when I was in Deming I put it on my list for a trip to Peppers, the local supermarket. Guess what? They had no thyme, unless you count those little McCormick "samples." Image: Going to Breakfast, Sandhill Cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 17, 2011.
- Monday, January 17, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Happy to be back and anxious to see what the cranes have been up to I set off before first light to the first pond. In the past I would usually walk down - it's only a mile or so - but today I drove down and ended up spending half the day there. In my excitement to be back I took way way too many pictures and then spent the rest of the morning trying to deal with them all. Image: First Light, Sandhill Cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 17, 2011.
- Sunday, January 16, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- When I left Percha Dam State Park this morning I had no intention of driving up to the Bosque today. I was headed up to Elephant Butte State Park, with a stop for groceries in Truth or Consequences on the way, to hang out there for a few days to finish my project refining this website before descending on the birds. But was a beautiful day, I missed my turnoff to the park and it was only another hour up the road to the Bosque... Backtracking is a waste of gas, right? Image: Sandhill Crane, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 4, 2010.
- Wednesday, April 21, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Western Kingbird, San Antonio NM, April 17, 2010.
- Tuesday, April 20, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Run some irrigation water into the cow pasture and the little critters thriving amongst the piles of nutrients run for their lives. The local birds of prey are having a field day - and so am I. It's been a good chance for me to get a few more photos on my daily walks. We like it. Yesterday I set out to reformat this site to center on a wide browser window and the project is coming along nicely but you may see some strange behavior here from time to time. Image: Swainson's Hawk, San Antonio NM, April 11, 2010.
- Monday, April 19, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Bear with me a while here. I'm trying to reformat this site to center on a wide browser window and it's not as easy as I might have thought. We're experiencing some inexperience difficulties. Image: Swainson's Hawk, San Antonio NM, April 13, 2010.
- Sunday, April 18, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Red-winged Blackbird, San Antonio NM, April 13, 2010.
- Saturday, April 17, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- I must say I was a bit startled when I first saw this picture come up in Lightroom. While I'm out and about firing away at every bird that will sit still long enough to push the button, flighty beasts that they are I often miss wonderful things I don't know I've captured until I get images uploaded into the laptop. Image: Great-tailed Grackle, San Antonio NM, April 13, 2010.
- Friday, April 16, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- I managed to annoy this Western Kingbird and a Say's Phoebe yesterday morning. They were out hunting up an insect breakfast and had to keep hop-scotching their way down the fence-line to keep a comfortable distance between us. It was more fun for me than for them I'm sure. Image: Western Kingbird, San Antonio NM, April 15, 2010.
- Thursday, April 15, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- I bagged a new bird! New to me anyway. It was a beautiful spring morning for this mornings camera walk up the road toward San Antonio and the birds were out getting their breakfast. There were House Finches and American Goldfinches eating fresh elm seeds, Killdeer chasing worms across the cow pasture, and Western Kingbirds and this new-to-me Say's Phoebe hunting insects from their fence-wire perches. I got some great pictures too. Image: Say's Phoebe, San Antonio NM, April 15, 2010.
- Wednesday, April 14, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Rabbit's under the creosote, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, April 14, 2010.
- Tuesday, April 13, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Spring in the pasture, San Antonio NM, April 11, 2010.
- Monday, April 12, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Bringing home the bacon, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, April 11, 2010.
- Sunday, April 11, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: House Finch, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, April 11, 2010.
- Saturday, April 10, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Gambel's Quail, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, March 17, 2010.
- Friday, April 9, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Red-tailed Hawk, Bosque National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, March 12, 2010.
- Thursday, April 8, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Red-tailed Hawk, Bosque National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, March 17, 2010.
- Wednesday, April 7, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: On Reflection. White-crowned Sparrow, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, March 17, 2010.
- Tuesday, April 6, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Western Scrub-Jay, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, March 19, 2010.
- Monday, April 5, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: House Finch, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, March 31, 2010.
- Sunday, April 4, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Western Meadowlark, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, April 4, 2010.
- Saturday, April 3, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: American Kestrel, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, March 17, 2010.
- Friday, April 2, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: House Finch, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, March 19, 2010.
- Thursday, April 1, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Red-winged Blackbird, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, April 1, 2010.
- Wednesday, March 31, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Acequia Soup, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, March 4, 2010.
- Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Focus, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, March 17, 2010.
- Monday, March 29, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: The Last Hunt, Redtailed Hawk, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, March 12, 2010.
- Sunday, March 28, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Great Blue Heron, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, March 12, 2010.
- Saturday, March 27, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Gone Fishing, Great Blue Heron, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, March 12, 2010.
- Friday, March 26, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Three Heifers, a study in asymmetry, North of Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, March 5, 2010.
- Thursday, March 25, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Western Meadowlark with Cowhair, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, March 5, 2010.
- Wednesday, March 24, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Mountain Bluebird, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, March 5, 2010.
- Tuesday, March 23, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Take two and ..., Western Scrub-Jay, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, March 19, 2010.
- Monday, March 22, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: White-crowned Sparrow, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, March 19, 2010.
- Sunday, March 21, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Eye on the Prize, House Finch, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, March 19, 2010.
- Saturday, March 20, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Portrait in Blue, Western Scrub-Jay, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, March 19, 2010.
- Friday, March 19, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- The weather turned later but this morning was bright and sunny and warm and I tossed a handful of bird seed out by the fence and sat in my lawn chair soaking up the sun watching and photographing the birds enjoying their meal. It was all a setup but I got some really nice pictures. Image: Gambel's Quail, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, March 19, 2010.
- Thursday, March 18, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Flat Top, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, February 26, 2010.
- Wednesday, March 17, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, February 26, 2010.
- Tuesday, March 16, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Entwined, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, February 26, 2010.
- Monday, March 15, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Western Still Life, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, February 26, 2010.
- Sunday, March 14, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 25, 2010.
- Saturday, March 13, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 25, 2010.
- Friday, March 12, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Virga View, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 25, 2010.
- Thursday, March 11, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- The Bosque is a carefully managed environment. Hang around a while and you begin to realize water levels in the ponds and wetlands are constantly monitored and adjusted. Food is grown and distributed for the wildlife. The ponds are drained and the grasses mowed. Even the snags the raptors to perch on grew up elsewhere. Image: Snag, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 25, 2010.
- Wednesday, March 10, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Makes me twitch, it does. Most of the pictures I took on this outing with Kate & Terry are lousy. Somehow I lost my focus and got the exposures all wrong. Bah! There is so so much to learn about this DSLR photography stuff. Image: Makes Me Twitch. Great Blue Heron, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 25, 2010.
- Tuesday, March 9, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Kate and Terry and I went down to the Refuge this afternoon to see if we could get some pictures. We did and I'll put some of mine up here over the next few days. Image: Afternoon Virga, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 25, 2010.
- Monday, March 8, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Thata Way, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, February 25, 2010.
- Sunday, March 7, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Turn 90 degrees to the left and the view over the fence is quite different! We like it. Image: Over the Fence, looking northwest, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, February 25, 2010.
- Saturday, March 6, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Some time back I walked the few feet out to the stock fence at the edge of the park and shot this picture. This is what I see out the window over my desk, without the bit of easily overlooked clutter in between. We like it! There's a river running through that line of trees behind the farm - the Rio Grande River, lifeblood to the inhabitants of this valley for millennia. Image: Farming the Rio Grande valley, San Antonio NM, February 25, 2010.
- Friday, March 5, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Pyrrhuloxia, Red-winged Blackbirds, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, February 20, 2010.
- Thursday, March 4, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Chill Dude, Pyrrhuloxia, Red-winged Blackbirds, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, February 20, 2010.
- Wednesday, March 3, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Scram shorty, Pyrrhuloxia, Chipping Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbirds, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, February 20, 2010.
- Tuesday, March 2, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: May I join you..?, Pyrrhuloxia, Red-winged Blackbird, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, February 20, 2010.
- Monday, March 1, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Oh all right, but you'll have to share.., Pyrrhuloxia, Red-winged Blackbird, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, February 20, 2010.
- Sunday, February 28, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: He can't be serious.., Pyrrhuloxia, Red-winged Blackbird, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, February 20, 2010.
- Saturday, February 27, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Is he serious..?, Pyrrhuloxia, Red-winged Blackbird, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, February 20, 2010.
- Friday, February 26, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: And don't come back.., Red-winged Blackbird, Pyrrhuloxia, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, February 20, 2010.
- Thursday, February 25, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Move on big boy, Red-winged Blackbird, Pyrrhuloxia, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, February 20, 2010.
- Wednesday, February 24, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Pyrrhuloxia, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, February 20, 2010.
- Tuesday, February 23, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Move on shorty, Pyrrhuloxia, Chipping Sparrow, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, February 20, 2010.
- Monday, February 22, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Pyrrhuloxia, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, February 20, 2010.
- Sunday, February 21, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Pyrrhuloxia, House Finch, White-crowned Sparrow, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, February 20, 2010.
- Saturday, February 20, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Breakfast at Ladka's Roundtable, Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, February 20, 2010.
- Friday, February 19, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Riprap, Bosque National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 18, 2010.
- Thursday, February 18, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Catching an Early Flight, Sandhill Cranes, Bosque National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 18, 2010.
- Wednesday, February 17, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Visitors Center, Bosque National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 16, 2010.
- Tuesday, February 16, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Some guys have to climb to the tippy tippy top of the tree. If Mother were here, she could tell you a story about that little boy phenomenon {grin}. Image: Some Guys..., Red-winged Blackbird, Bosque National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 16, 2010.
- Monday, February 15, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Getting interesting shots of these magnificent cranes in flight leaving the roost in the early morning light has turned into quite a project. Many many thousands of shots later I'm beginning to see the light - how positioning myself to catch the cranes leaving the roost in just the right light from just the right angle and firing away - taking hundreds of shots - can yield a satisfying one once in a while. What fun! Image: Illuminated, Sandhill Crane, Bosque National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 15, 2010.
- Sunday, February 14, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Quite unlike the Prickly Pear cactus I called "Mittens in the Garden" yesterday, the three Golden Barrel cacti nestled against the garden wall are anything but spineless. Beautiful specimens they are! Image: Golden Barrel cactus, Garden, Bosque National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 13, 2010.
- Saturday, February 13, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Hoo boy did I wish for mittens on the photo shoot at the crane roost this morning. The temperature was in the teens and the photographers were far more colorfully turned out than the birds. Image: Mittens in the Garden, Bosque National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 13, 2010.
- Friday, February 12, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- I took so many pictures yesterday I need a day (at least!) to try to sort and catalog them. So after an especially productive morning shoot at the roost I decided to hole up for the day back at the park and work on them. Somehow I've got to decide how I want to share more of these wonderful pictures with you. Image: Smile!, Sandhill Crane, Bosque National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 12, 2010.
- Thursday, February 11, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Today I spent the whole day at the refuge. It was a nice long, relaxing day of hiking and taking pictures and I got some great shots. First of Sandhill Cranes breaking camp at their roost in the morning, then of some ducks and geese and a passing train on a hike around a big marsh. Later I got some great shots of Northern Harriers hunting in the brush along the road and some close shots of a Cooper's Hawk perched in a snag. Image: Elk, Bosque National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 11, 2010.
- Wednesday, February 10, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- The Friends of Bosque del Apache NWR bought 140 acres at the top of Chupadera Peak for the refuge a few years ago and there is a trail up to the peak I'd like to hike. It's nine or ten miles from the trailhead up to the top at 6272 feet and back. That ought to make a nice day hike. Image: Chupadera Peak, Bosque National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 10, 2010.
- Tuesday, February 9, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Go! go! go! go! go! Gotta get more pictures! Only shot a thousand today.... Image: Go! go! go! go! go!, Northern Pintail, Bosque National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 9, 2010.
- Monday, February 8, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Six thousand images in 14 days. That's more pictures than I've taken in a lifetime and it's taxing my ability to keep up with the tossing and sorting and cataloging. I'm having trouble getting out of the tourist mode of snapping everything that moves. With the rapid fire this new camera is capable of (a wonderful feature in its place) I can easily end up with 10 or 20 copies of an image I won't end up keeping. Image: Image Number 6,000, Bosque National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 8, 2010.
- Sunday, February 7, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Morning at the Bosque, Bosque National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 5, 2010.
- Saturday, February 6, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Flight Deck on a Frosty Morning, Bosque National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 5, 2010.
- Friday, February 5, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: On Final Approach, Sandhill Cranes, Bosque National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 4, 2010.
- Thursday, February 4, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Backlit, Sandhill Cranes, Bosque National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 4, 2010.
- Wednesday, February 3, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Sunrise, Bosque National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 2, 2010.
- Tuesday, February 2, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- This was one of those frustrating mornings driving me to take that Canon 100-400mm Telephoto lens off my wish list and put it on the camera. I really really wanted to reach out to see what the Bald Eagle was eating much to the dismay of the Ravens, and I just couldn't. Image: One Bald Eagle, Two Sandhill Cranes, Three Ravens, Bosque National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 2, 2010.
- Monday, February 1, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Some days the birdwatchers are more entertaining than the birds. This was one of those days. Except for the moment a few thousand Snow Geese suddenly took off all-at-once and headed out to roost elsewhere. Wow! Seeing ten thousand do rise in a mass must be an incredible experience! Image: Birds of a Feather, Bosque National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, February 1, 2010.
- Sunday, January 31, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Man o man - I shot this handheld with George's Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens on my new Canon EOS 7D camera. Zoomed all the way out to 400mm. Other than cropping this image is right straight out of the camera. Amazing. Image: Sandhill Crane, Bosque National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 30, 2010.
- Saturday, January 30, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Glide Slope, Sandhill Cranes, Bosque National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 30, 2010.
- Friday, January 29, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Messing with my new camera yesterday morning whilst trying to get the hang of this new-to-me dSLR business, I vastly overexposed a few shots. Here's one. I like it. Image: Windmill (exposed), Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM, January 28, 2010.
- Thursday, January 28, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- We got a little snow in San Antonio today. Not a lot. Images: Snow, Local Color, San Antonio NM, January 28, 2010.
- Wednesday, January 27, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- The birds here at the Bosque National Wildlife Refuge live in a closely monitored and managed environment. The staff is constantly moving water around and a day or so ago they started a big pump to send water down through this meadow and into the shallow ponds where so many water birds roost and get their pictures taken. Image: Leak, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 27, 2010.
- Tuesday, January 26, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- I like this silhouette enough to put a larger copy over at my Birds Series of photos. The new camera I ordered yesterday, a Canon EOS 7D, arrived from Amazon this afternoon and I managed to get a battery charged and learn enough about the camera to go off with Kate & Terry on a sunset photo shoot at the Bosque. Image: Coming to Roost, Sandhill Cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 26, 2010.
- Monday, January 25, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- I've been walking down the highway to these Sandhill Crane roosting areas near sunrise or sunset for some exercise - this is the scene I'm usually greeted with. People come here from all over the world. I'm told the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge is a rare opportunity for birders to get this close to the birds so easily. It certainly is a treat for me. Image: Birding the Bosque, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 25, 2010.
- Sunday, January 24, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Startling how some days one can get lucky, swing the camera and pull the trigger, timed just so.... Image: Taking Fright, Northern Pintails, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 24, 2010.
- Saturday, January 23, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Last night about sunset I walked the mile and a half from the RV park down to the first pond to watch the Sandhill Cranes come to roost and managed to get this fun shot in the fading light. Image: Coming to Roost, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 22, 2010.
- Friday, January 22, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: A Sniff in the Mud, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 20, 2010.
- Thursday, January 21, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Kate did a fine writeup of the Throwdown! with Bobby Flay at the Buckhorn Bar in San Antonio on her blog last year and tonight Kate & Terry and I went up for some of those winning green chili burgers, my first and not likely my last! These things are wicked good! Image: Blind, Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 20, 2010.
- Wednesday, January 20, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Last night's storm front moved on and today I signed up for another three weeks here at the Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park. I like it here, the birds are endlessly entertaining, the price is not hugely more than the New Mexico Parks, and my stay will extend beyond the next NM Parks furlough closure February 8th and 9th. Kills many birds this on stone does. Image: Departing Storm Clouds, San Antonio NM, January 20, 2010.
- Tuesday, January 19, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Creosote, San Antonio NM, January 19, 2010.
- Monday, January 18, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Days End, Sandhill Cranes, San Antonio NM, January 17, 2010.
- Sunday, January 17, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Image: Duck Soup, Bosque National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 17, 2010.
- Saturday, January 16, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- This darned camera I'm using, a nice little Panasonic DMC-FZ28 with an 18x zoom is frustrating me. It's a pretty good camera for what it is designed for but I see now I'm trying to work outside it's design envelope. Image: Bosque Dawn, San Antonio NM, January 16, 2010.
- Friday, January 15, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- Yesterday my friends Kate & Terry invited me along for a sunset photo shoot of the Sandhill Cranes gathering to roost in the shallow ponds along the highway at the north end of the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. I've seen the cranes flying between their roosting and feeding grounds down at Percha Dam State Park and at Pancho Villa State Park and I've seen them feeding with the cows here and there but this was my first experience of them roosting. Image: Gathering at the roost, Sandhill Cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 14, 2010.
- Thursday, January 14, 2010 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
- These colorful little Vermilion Flycatchers are quick to launch out from a perch to snatch an insect out of the air 40 or 50 feet away. This little guy let me snap away at him at work for the better part of an hour but my little Panasonic DMC-FZ28 at 18x wasn't really up to the task. One could easily lust after better equipment at times like these. I caught a few in flight shots that could have been spectacular with a better camera. Image: Vermilion Flycatcher, Percha Dam State Park, Arrey NM, January 12, 2010.
- Monday, January 11, 2010 - Leasburg Dam State Park, Radium Springs NM
- I'm out of here today - off to find some Mobil 1 for an oil change and someone to do the job. Then I'll probably head over to Leasburg Dam State Park in Radium Springs NM for the night, with the goal of finding myself up at the private Bosque Bird Watchers RV Park in San Antonio NM for the January 14th and 15th NM employee furlough when the State Parks are closed. Image: "What" Will You Drink Next Year ???, Pancho Villa State Park, Columbus NM, January 10, 2010.
- Sunday, December 20, 2009 - Bosque Bird Watcher's RV Park, San Antonio NM
- The Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge is a must see if you are into birdwatching. I'm not really a birdwatcher but today was such a beautiful sunny Sunday I couldn't resist taking a bike ride through the refuge before I head off to Ghost Ranch. Image: Bald Eagles, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, December 20, 2009.
- Saturday, December 19, 2009 - Bosque Bird Watcher's RV Park, San Antonio NM
- {Shiver me timbers!} I stepped out at dawn to toss my trash and just as I reached the cans a nearby pack of coyotes set up a howling racket, touching off a lengthy conversation with their neighbors. That sent a shiver down my spine I'll tell ya! At least it wasn't one of those big kitties so common out here sneaking up on me.... Image: Dawn at Fort Stanton Cave, December 19, 2009.
It was the Crickets
Now then: it isn't so much that one way of dying beats another, though that certainly is the case, but rather that when you KNOW the jig could be up any second or any decade -- it's the awareness that's important -- that just might make a difference. I'm like everybody else, I have these moments and then forget, lapsing back into "immortality." But there was a thing that happened in my back yard maybe 18 months before we split from Maryland that hit me as hard as seeing their president drop dead on stage must have hit those graduating seniors.
It was the crickets. I'd gone outside one warm fall evening to shut the garage door and suddenly realized I couldn't hear the crickets! No wait, I could, but only if I turned my head a certain way. Oh God, oh no: I had almost no high-frequency hearing in my right ear, or was it my left? That doesn't matter. The point is, a part of me had shut down permanently. No, it hadn't happened suddenly, but I had finally noticed, and that was hard to take. I'd never again hear crickets like I once had. Never! I walked back to the house in tears. All right, I'm sensitive. But I understood at once what all this meant.