Land of Enchantment - Bosque del Apache...

On a little excursion out to the Bosque del Apache today, the magic and beauty of New Mexico really showed itself. The Bosque is truly epic - an amazing place to explore, with endless possibilities for gorgeous landscape photos (not to mention a birder's paradise...).

By the time we visited, despite the frigid weather yesterday and the deceptive sunshine this morning (it was COLD!), many of the large flocks of birds had already departed for northern climes. We did see many geese and ducks (several types), along with numerous birds of prey, a large group of sandhill cranes, and a smallish murmur of starlings, in addition to a few unidentified stragglers.

I was using a 500mm lens handheld, so I had to bump up the ISO quite a bit, and as a result, many of the images are noisy. The mist also added to the soft effect, though I liked it in most of the shots - giving them a dreamy feel. Next time, I will consider different shooting techniques to improve my captures, but overall, I am pleased with the photos I came home with.

The Bosque is a beautiful day trip south from Albuquerque. We left at 5am and arrived just before the sunrise, photographed for a couple of beautiful, mist-filled hours, then had brunch in Socorro and were home before noon. 

We decided to use this visit as a scouting trip, and plan to return next winter, earlier, to see the large numbers of visiting avian friends.