Spring at Bosque del Apache

Those of you who follow my blog regularly have surely noticed that I haven't posted since early April. Several weeks ago, I tore two muscles in my back simply by making an awkward move while cleaning out a birdbath in my yard. Since then, it's been lots of pain, doctor visits, medication, and physical therapy.

I'm on the mend now, albeit slowly, and I'm still not back to my old self. But I did manage to make a quick trip to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge last Saturday.

In winter we visit Bosque del Apache mainly to observe and photograph large numbers of Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese. In spring, it's a completely different world. The big flock birds and winter residents are gone, and the summer residents have moved in.  And there are lots of resident critters visible in spring that are just not active or visible in winter.

Most notable in that category are turtles. Scanning the ponds with binoculars, you'll find a turtle on every snag, like this brightly colored fellow which had just crawled out of the water.

Painted Turtle

And here, Double-crested Cormorants preen while turtles pile onto a log.

Cormorants and Turtles

Although I've been to Bosque del Apache many, many times in all seasons, I'd never before seen a muskrat there.  So I was delighted to see this one swimming among the reeds from the Boardwalk.

Muskrat

Muskrats are large rodents that always live near water, and are related to beavers. They have thick brown fur, a long, scaly tail and webbed rear feet - good for swimming. They can grow up to two feet long, and live in marshes or alongside ponds, lakes, rivers and streams. Bosque del Apache has lots of prime habitat for these critters.

And then there were birds. Western Kingbirds were probably the most prominent species. It seemed like every fencepost, treetop and stick had a Western Kingbird surveying its surroundings.

Other abundant birds included Gambell's Quail, Northern Mockingbird, Chipping Sparrow, Wild Turkey and Black Phoebe. I also observed Canada Geese with their little ones, Willet, lots of assorted swallows, and many others.

Although I've seen American White Pelican at Bosque del Apache in springs past, I saw none this year.

Here's a snap of a Black Phoebe that seemed to be following me down the Boardwalk. You'll always find this species close to water.

Black Phoebe

Wading birds were also prominent.  Great Blue Heron, Cattle Egret, Great Egret and Snowy Egret fed in the marshes throughout the refuge. For quite a while, I watched two Snowy Egrets hunt in some shallow water close to the road. This one caught a tiny fish.

Snowy Egret

My favorite bird of the day, however, was White-faced Ibis. When I lived on the Upper Texas Coast and regularly visited Anahauc National Wildlife Refuge, I saw these birds in abundance, along with Glossy and White Ibis.  Now that I'm in New Mexico and don't see many wading birds, this ibis was a real treat.  Just look at that beautiful iridescence!  These waders use their long, curved bills to forage in the mud for insects and small crustaceans.

White-faced Ibis

If you've only been to Bosque del Apache in winter, it's worth a trip in spring to see the summer residents in their lush, green habitat and add some different birds to your list.

Cheers 'til next time...Gail.
www.gailyovanphotos.com
All images and text ©2014 Gail Diane Yovanovich