hatch1921
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 p.1 #2 · 3 days for Bosque - advise me, please | |
Hi TJ,
I’ve been visiting the refuge for the past six years and have made, I think, nine trips so far. It’s a relaxing place to visit and a great spot to enjoy the wildlife.
I was there the week before Thanksgiving, and the cranes were just starting to arrive from up north. The snow geese were in the 4,000–5,000 range at the time. I’d imagine more birds have arrived by now, since it’s been about a month.
Here’s how I typically spend a day on or around the refuge. Everyone is different, some people stay longer, leave earlier, etc.
I check the sunrise time and arrive at the first pond on the right-hand side of the road just south of San Antonio, before entering the refuge. Over the years, I’ve found this to be an excellent place to capture cranes and other birds heading out for the day. The early morning light is often beautiful, and the birds are well lit rather than backlit. You can, of course, enter the refuge at sunrise to capture silhouette shots of birds taking off, I’ve done that as well.
Once the last cranes or geese have left, I head into the refuge and start making my way around the loops. If there’s one piece of advice I can share, it’s this: the speed limit is 25, but I usually drive 10–15 mph when looking for animals to photograph. I can’t tell you how many times people have passed me and missed an amazing hawk, coyote, or javelina because they were in a hurry. Bosque isn’t a place to rush—you’re there to enjoy nature and everything the refuge has to offer, in my opinion.
On the south end loop, I typically run across javelina, and there are several ponds where you can find a variety of birds to photograph. There’s a pond with a deck on the right-hand side of the road heading south, where I’ve occasionally seen pelicans.
As you make your way around and head north, I’ve come across many mule deer feeding in the early morning. There are also lots of Cooper’s hawks, kestrels, harriers, and red-tailed hawks along the north and eastern sides. The harriers especially like to hunt the fields in the northern area.
I’ll usually run the loops several times, but as the day warms up, heat distortion often plays havoc with shots near the ground. Flying shots aren’t nearly as affected, but cranes or geese feeding in the fields later in the morning tend to produce poor results, in my experience.
I typically head back to the hotel for lunch and a rest. I’ve stayed at both the Holiday Inn Express and Comfort Suites. They’re not four-star hotels, but they’re nice enough for a three-day visit.
A couple of hours before sunset, I’ll head back to the refuge and do a few more laps. I’ve captured some great sunset shots with birds in silhouette, as well as nice images of birds flying in with the warm evening sun lighting them up near the flight deck area. It really depends on the skies and how the sunset looks that day.
Bosque is full of wildlife. Take your time, drive slowly, and scan the trees and surrounding areas, you’ll have plenty to photograph.
Dress in layers. It’s cold in the morning, but within a couple of hours it warms up quickly.
I'm shooting full frame, 200-600 or 400-800 and at times, with a teleconverter. If you have a favorite wide angle lens, bring it. I think the fall colors have peaked by now but the area is scenic and it's nice to have one with you.
Have a look at my website, the latest trip is on there along with previous trips in the blog section. I hope this helps a little and most of all... enjoy your trip.
Hatch
www.frankhatcher.com
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