hatch1921
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| p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Bosque del Apache trip--image heavy--word heavy | |
Hi all,
I just returned from Socorro/Bosque yesterday and I'm working on the images from the quick trip. We left on Saturday morning and thankfully the weather held out. About a week or so ago most of the high country in AZ and NM were hit with storms and snow. It made for a beautiful drive, but I was a little nervous we would make the 6+ hour trip and the weather gods would not be on our side. Thankfully, it was mostly clear skies for the trip with nice sunsets.
We arrived in Socorro around 3pm and after checking in to the hotel, I headed out to the refuge. There were about 30 or so photographers shooting a few early cranes and ducks, waiting for sunset. Once things got closer to sunset, the cranes flew in...in mass. The sunset was very colorful and made for a nice background and crane silhouettes.
Single Crane at Sunset
 Bosque del Apache by hatch1921, on Flickr
Sunset Chat
 Bosque del Apache by hatch1921, on Flickr
They are a loud bunch! A sight to see for sure. We didn't make it into the "loop" area the first night, the first water area turned out to be just fine. We made our way back to the hotel and called it a night. This was my first trip to Bosque and to Socorro. A tip to anyone going there... bring cash. We were surprised a number of times during the trip how many places didn't take credit/debit cards. I know better for next time around. 
On Sunday morning we made our way to the first water area again and joined the 30-40 other photographers waiting on the sun to rise and the cranes to take off. Seeing them there standing in ice/freezing water was something else. The temperature was 21 degrees with frost on the ground and the water frozen. The cranes when they started moving would slide on the ice and then punch through it.
Once the cranes started warming up, they took flight. The morning light made for some nice shots. I’m not a bird photographer by any means… much respect to those of you who are. It’s challenging to say the least. I tried my hand at some panning shots…most were not “keepers” and only a few turned out decent.
Panning Shot
 Bosque del Apache by hatch1921, on Flickr
Headed South--Morning Light
 Bosque del Apache by hatch1921, on Flickr
A Pair--Morning Light
 Bosque del Apache by hatch1921, on Flickr
After shooting the first water area, we made our way to the “loop” for more shots. Ae we drove off, I noticed something in a tree across the waterway… it was a bald eagle. I’ve never seen one in the wild, this was exciting to say the least. This is where I wish I had a 600mm or 800mm with an extension tube. The following images are heavy crops. I was shooting with the D850, 300mm PF, and the 1.7x TC.
All in all… not horrible… but would love to have had the extra reach.
Bald Eagle --Crop
 Bosque del Apache by hatch1921, on Flickr
Bald Eagle --100% Crop
 Bosque del Apache by hatch1921, on Flickr
Next, we made our way to the loop. No cash… no entrance. At this point in time, the only way to get cash is to buy a $25 duck stamp. So, we passed and decided to come back out in the evening and enjoy the loop. This gave us time to explore around the area to see if we could find anything else to photograph. There were plenty of red tail hawks, but most were way out range for the gear I had with me. This one was nice enough to sit still on top of the powerline pole. It isn’t the most pleasing background/rest… but the hawk is pretty/handsome.
Hawk on the pole
 Bosque del Apache by hatch1921, on Flickr
After our adventure outside the refuge, it was time to rest for the evening. A storm was moving in and the sky was cloud covered. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to capture more images. This time we went out to the “loop” and it did not disappoint. I imagine, November/December is the best time to visit as the bird density must be higher. There were plenty of birds to see and photograph…several hundred snow geese were resting when we arrived. Several photographers were photographing them, and I joined in. I snapped about a dozen shots and then the group erupted and took off. It caught be by surprise as the sky filled with snow geese… I wasn’t ready but…. I fired away and was able to capture some shots.
Snow Geese Resting
 Bosque del Apache by hatch1921, on Flickr
Odd man out
 Bosque del Apache by hatch1921, on Flickr
Sky Full --Snow Geese
 Bosque del Apache by hatch1921, on Flickr
The snow geese did not return, I imagine they went to another water way…far away from people to enjoy the rest of the evening.
On the way back to my truck, a colorful pheasant emerged from the brush to feed. A dozen or so shots later… I had a few nice images.
Colorful Pheasant
 Bosque del Apache by hatch1921, on Flickr
Upon leaving the park area, we turned a corner and a car was pulled over looking into a field… several mule deer were feeding and making their way across the road. I stopped, grabbed the camera as the light was fading and snapped some images. Then… I hear a “BANG” on the windshield of my truck and my wife was frantically pointing to my left to look. A beautiful 5x3 buck was standing there looking at me. He wasn’t all that nervous… as he casually grazed in the deep brush. The shots below turned out better than I had hoped. I tried to walk as quietly as possible to get a little closer and he roamed around the area. The does had their eyes on me…but… never panicked. I still have several shots to work on in this series… these are some of the nicer ones with him looking at me and feeding. The one shot “Buck Eating” he is standing, that’s how deep the brush was/is.
5x3 Mule Deer Buck
 BUCK_WEB by hatch1921, on Flickr
5x3 Buck Eating
 5x3_Feeding by hatch1921, on Flickr
5x3 Evening Light
 5x3muledeerWEB by hatch1921, on Flickr
On the way up, we say antelope and, on the way, back we saw another herd of about 70 in total. I stopped this time around and tried my best to capture some images. I haven’t worked them all just yet, here is one I thought stood out. The pair has their eyes on me. It was amazing to see them react to the camera noise, I was about 300-350 yard from them and they could hear me snapping away. On the way back 11 elk were grazing… great to see but too far to photograph.
Antelope Pair
 Bosque del Apache by hatch1921, on Flickr
As we made out way back to Phoenix, we stopped in Show Low…this raven landed on the back of my truck and then ended up in a large pine tree. Just a snapshot.
Winter is coming!
 Bosque del Apache by hatch1921, on Flickr
The quick trip was very fruitful! I only really shot for what I would call three sessions… 3000+ images later…reflecting on the trip… I can’t wait to go back at the end of the year. Lessons learned… I need a longer lens combo. The 300mm PF is outstanding and with the 1.7x tc attached most of the time... it did a great job. I think a 500PF or a rented 600 F/4 would be excellent with the 300mm.
Thanks for making it this far…it’s a long post.
Hatch
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the raven was fun to photograph...I think if I would have had a snack... it would have taken it from my hand. He/she was close enough at times I couldn't get a focus lock on it. 
