It's sandhill crane season again. Standing 4 feet tall, these majestic birds winter in New Mexico, much to our delight. There is something so incredible about these creatures, with their prehistoric calls and imposing frames. Much of the time we spot them in empty fields along the Bosque and in open spaces in the North Valley. When they take off they are truly a sight to behold. Magnificent. Today I was lucky to have two soar right over my head as I pedaled to the Bosque. It looked something like this:
Not only did I see those beauties, but we were treated to a juvenile Cooper's Hawk and a porcupine at the Bosque. A porcupine!! It was lounging in the top branches of a cottonwood and was much larger than I had expected. From a distance it looked to be between 1-2 feet long. Incredible. Even though we are technically in the city, the Bosque allows for so much wildlife to thrive and have a place in our bustling town.
2 comments:
I'm envious of your close proximity to a bosque!
We love to visit the Bosque del Apache NWR down near Socorro to see all the wintering waterfowl (and coyotes). The last time we went through was in April, which was quite different than in November. We're not sure when we'll get there again since our newer dog would be a royal PITA there and would also not be a good candidate for boarding. (On the last trip, even the "good" dog tried to escape through a half-open window when she saw a Canada goose ever so close...)
We haven't been to the Bosque del Apache NWR yet but we'd love to go and see the cranes en masse. Perhaps we'll catch next year's Festival of the Cranes.
I hope you can find a way to make it down that way again.
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