I had heard earlier this week that there were a lot of birds at the ponds and fields in Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. If I was a little more aware, I would have also know this coming weekend is the Festival of the Cranes down there, which celebrates the return of the birds. And I would have realized that this time period is one of the busiest there in terms of visitors.

Oh well. No matter.

I heard there were lots of birds down there, so on Friday I called the refuge’s Visitor’s Center, and yes, a nice woman said field occupancy was at 80%. I decided about 7 PM last night that I needed to go on down to the place for another visit.

My alarm went off at 3:30 this morning, my cat chores were done and my oatmeal breakfast and coffee were consumed by 3:50, so at 4 I was on the road to try and reach the site by 5:30, which one photographer online who had visited there for sunrise picture had recommended.

I arrived at 5:30 AM promptly, but coming in in the darkness, I really had no idea where I was going to find the birds.

There are two ponds near the north entrance to the park that I had mentally aimed to stop at, but upon arriving in San Antonito to blackness everywhere, I settled for reaching the Visitor’s Center, and then followed a small stream of cars into the refuge grounds where I hoped I might join some wise folks for morning pictures by a pond. I lucked out, and it worked out. I stopped with the vehicle entourage by one section of the main pond, and found a little spit west of a group of chatty birds on the water to set my tripod up on. And then the sun slowly rose, and the birds in time did their famous blast off. It was really cool. I enjoyed being there to see that.

My photography skills still remain questionable out of Automatic mode, and several times during the day I tried to work in manual, aperture priority mode and shutter priority mode, but still, upon coming home with nearly 1500 photos taken, a significant number of them were again blurry. I get frustrated by that, because I want to learn how to use a camera well in many different shot situations, and I try to improve myself by switching up camera modes, but it seems I inevitably confuse myself, forget important setting specifics, and create situations where my results are fuzzy classics. I also forgot to turn stabilization off on my lens today when it was on the tripod. So many little things that trip me up. It’s funny- for trips like these, I try to prepare myself mentally to be ready for the opportunities and conditions of the occasion, to the extent I write out hints and suggestions on an index card for the trip. And still I forget basic things. Oh well.

It’s okay. The day down there was a beautiful day- the weather was sunny, mild, and pleasant and not very cold for this time of the year- except for when I fell in the acequia.

Yeah, I did that. About 9 AM, I saw a field with some trees and a mountain behind it that was painted by golden light. I wanted to get on top of a berm near me to have a clearer vantage point for the photo. To get there, I thought all I had to do was walk across this thin strip of tall grass. The tall grass was solid for 15 feet, but the last 5 or so, no. That grass was laying over what I thought was ground, but in reality, it was a canal of bog water, and with one step, I went in, sinking slowly on the folded grass until I was in water to my waist. My hiking boots, socks, pants, long johns, skivvies, and the bottom of my heavy shirt and my new coat were all washed in nourioshing bird field water. I am glad temps were above freezing today, because my lower torso was wet for over 4 hours.

Oddly enough, my phone and both cameras were also dipped in water when my body folded forward as I sunk into the canal. My phone was in my pants pocket. My cameras were draped over my neck, and as I sunk, I had quickly tried to keep them from full baptism. I had one electronic casualty from water exposure. The 18-55mm kit lens that came with my Rebel took on some water- you can see beads and condensation on the inside of the lens glassware. The camera bodies survived, though, as did the second lens I had on the other body.

My day was spent slowly wandering around the north loop of the place after that. Along the way, I had a good critter show. Early in the morning, three bobcats popped out of a stand of trees by the road where I was basking in the sun to dry off and see what electronica was dead. Two roadrunners stalked me in the new day light as well. Early in the afternoon, two deer fed off of the grass and grain in one of the bird fields, and one of the deer, nonplussed by morning events, laid down amongst the crane to chill out. By a duck pond in another area, a coyote lurked beyond the birds, considering if there was anything worth chasing for lunch. Birds of prey circled in the sky above to the west, and a hawk soared by my location a few times during my visit.

I took it easy enjoying the broad views from field to field, and took photos of whatever interested me, and I stopped here and there to admire the crowds of cranes keeping loud company in several of the north fields. It was a good day to be down there.

On my way out of the refuge, I recognized the solitary tree that sits next to the south pond outside of the park where snow geese like to gather, and under bright direct sunlight, sure enough, the pond was filled with brilliant white dots on its surface. I stopped at the pond thinking I would just be there a few minutes to get a photo of that remarkable colorful tree with birds on the water in front of it, but as soon as I parked my truck, clouds dulled the sunlight overhead. I decided to hang out, thinking the clouds would free the sun again soon.

They never did.

But I still enjoyed the time, walking the length of the pond and watching thousands of snow geese chat and squabble and preen and launch and land on the water doing whatever is an important part of their afternoon plans, until an hour later, around 2:30 PM, they began to do mass launches and flit off for better hangouts or snacks on fields up north off the river bosque to the east.

I enjoyed the trip, despite the length of the day and drive it involved. My pants and socks finally dried up around 1:30. I saw wild animals. The deer lay down with the crane. The day itself was so pleasant for middle of November, and I got a number of photos that I figured I’d be happy with. My morning photos of the crane blast off didn’t turn out as great as I hoped, but the real event of it, witnessed before a rising sun, was quite beautiful.

I’ll just keep trying to learn how to use the cameras, I guess, get a replacement lens, and keep practicing. Things have to stick along the way, a little here, a little there. It’s just practice.

A stop at the Owl Cafe in San Antonito for a green chile cheeseburger was the best way I could think of to finish out the fine day trip. And it was. I had not eaten anything except a cookie since I left the house around 4 AM, so a tasty meal was certainly appreciated before I made the drive back home.