A few pictures from Bosque del Apache NWR

Al Hansen

Al Hansen

Well-known member
I happened to have my eyes riveted on a family of snow geese as they descended into the newly flooded area at the refuge. I did not see the rest of the flock that had also split up into smaller groups from the original flock that had flown south from Colorado or possibly Nebraska. Here are some shots of mom, dad and their three youngsters as they came in.

Nothing amazes me more than the life of a snow goose. Going from being hunted darn near every day of its life, to becoming some of the elders of the waterfowl world is one of them and then the other is what I have witnessed so many times in my visits to the Bosque del Apache in the past 24 years since moving to this rare jewel of a state. I am talking about the goose's ability to know where it is and what it can expect from being there. To think that it is highly possible that many of the geese have been shot at in the past 24 to 48 hours is highly probable but when they land here in this wonderful refuge that we have in New Mexico, they have an air about them that seems to look like they know that they will not be harmed here. Some of the geese were landing maybe just 50 to 60 feet from visitors. Then they went about feeding and drinking like they had been here for a month.



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Here is the incoming family of five snow geese. You can see the rest of them in the background of the shot.



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No matter where you look in a flock of light geese, you will find the majority of them feeding or perhaps sleeping maybe after an exhausting leg of their trip now behind them. However, take the time to look about and you will always see a few of them making sure that everything is safe for the rest of the flock. The name applied is sentry and rightly so.




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Great Pictures, I see that the Snow's hang in family group's like the other geese do.
Phil
 
Nice shots Al! I guess there is a little water around to entice the bids?
 
Hi Phil,
They sure do for a while down here. Then just before the geese are starting to get ready for their reverse migration, the juvenile snows and Ross' begin to hang together in larger groups.
Just think that back in the early 2000s the birds coming into this area were averaging 10 years old. Over the course of not too many years I have witnessed them beginning to leave the refuge but more carefully. Now they corkscrew their way up to that level of being comfortable and then they leave the confines of the refuge heading for maybe the state operated cornfields north of us only 40 miles away. Once over that feeding area, they corkscrew their way down onto the fields. They never get shot at. Well, I will take that last statement back. I have witnessed hunters shooting at geese that had to be at least 200 to 250 yards up.
 
Thanks, Dani. Yes, they finally got some water to use to fill a few of the ponds. They are way behind but not to anyone's fault. All irrigation has been completely stopped way back in the August/September area. For a logn time the water that was in the Rio Grande was all heading for Texas.

Yesterday we noticed another two large areas beginning to fill. That is good.

The Rio Grande is flowing at 471 cfs this morning. that is the highest it has been since late last spring. Thank goodness. Maybe I will be able to get out to the ranch a bit earlier than I once thought.
 
Those are some beautiful photos as always Al! I think I got that pinner's brother last week, one of the nicest ones I've ever been lucky enough to shoot

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Cody, that is one great looking drake pintail. Congratulations. I think it would be the father of the one I took the picture of. By the way, we get quite a few ducks from your area. Is the spot you are hunting have the same level of water that it did last year?
Al

Thanks for posting that picture.
 
Hey Al, there really does seem to be a mini-flyway between the Great Salt Lake and New Mexico/Texas. I know you have a banded bird from the GSL and I once shot a banded teal that was banded just west of Bosque del Apache. This spot in particular has a lot of water right now but was almost dry over the summer. Other marshes around the shores of the GSL that are typically 1-2 feet deep this time of year are almost bone dry. The lake hit its lowest level in recorded history this year, we did have a wet October that helped a bit but the lake level is still very low. If we get a low-snow year like last winter we could be in real trouble next spring and summer, fingers crossed for a good snow year!
 
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