<b>One sight that actually gave me chills up my spine was Bosque del Apache</b>

Bosque is a great place to visit between mid-November and mid-March when wintering snow geese and sandhill cranes fill the ponds. Rest of the year, especially summer, it isn't very good as they drain the ponds. But if you can visit during the winter it's spectacular. Here are a few of our photos from a trip last year:
http://www.pbase.com/hilton_photography/bosque

Bosque is about 90 miles south of Albuquerque just off I-25.

Also, I see some like Deb are advising you to skip White Sands ... if all you would do is jump on a dune for 30 minutes then I agree, you should skip it (and save a dune for us photographers) :) But if you go early or late in the day it's incredibly beautiful. Here's a nice portfolio of White Sands images so you can get a sense of what it's like:
http://www.pbase.com/merriwolf/79th_camp_white_sands

Bill

Bill: Those are magnificent pictures. Thanks so much for sharing! :)

One question: is the road through the Bosque that looks parallel on the map, is this road paved?

I tried to drive through the Bosque once but the paved road ended and it became a dirt road so I didn't continue on without a 4-wheel drive.

Beachbum- Thanks- Will look for it!

Hi Isle- I will defintitely do the Bosque. White sands is a good possibility. Thanks so much!

Suzie- Will do all of these! Thanks :)

Bill- Thanks for the fantastic photos. The white sands are more beautiful than I imagined. I'm changing plans! Thanks again..!

Bill,
Those are magnificent pictures! I will take back my comments and can only wish that my eyes saw the things your camera captured.

easytraveler - Bosque del Apache is not the same thing as the bosque that parallels the Rio Grande River. Bosque del Apache is a National Wildlife Sanctuary located south of ABQ. Migrating sandhill cranes and snow geese and others use the marsh and ponds as they travel south in spring and north in winter.

http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/newmex/bosque/

This is a video of take off. We saw landing one winter night. It was amazing.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=nb7G9lfBz...eature=related

&quot;Bosque&quot; is that Spanish word for forest. It sounds like you might be talking about the woods that are on the banks of the Rio Grande [from Santa Fe to ABQ and beyond] which have lots of Cottonwood trees. There are walking/biking and horse trails along there.

Here's something a bit different that no one has mentioned -- VLA [Very Large Array]in Socorro. It is pretty out there

Deb

Hi Deb. Thanks a bunch for your suggs. I had a trip to the VLA planned should I go to the White Sands. Will do a report when I come back Tues!

kurt

<b>Bill: Those are magnificent pictures. Thanks so much for sharing</b>

Just want to say that those are Carol and my Bosque pics but the White Sands images are by Gordon W, not me ... we have a lot of good shots from White Sands from the old film daze but haven't scanned many. You have to be there early or late to get shots like those, mid-day the light is flat.

<b>One question: is the road through the Bosque that looks parallel on the map, is this road paved? </b>

There's a figure-8 loop, I think 14 miles total (you can just do half of it). It's not paved, it's hard packed gravel ... you don't need 4-WD, it's level all the way, even the family sedan is fine. A couple of the best ponds are off the paved road before the entrance station, so you can still do well there without driving off the pavement.

Just to stress that from mid-Nov thru roughly mid-March this is one of the top four birding spots in the USA, especially for photography, but in the summer months it's pretty dead as all the geese and cranes are in Alaska or Canada and most of the ponds are drained!

Bill

Wow - what a great wealth of info here. My son is working on a farm in Albuquerque (we're NYers) and I'm sending this to him - he loves nature, hiking, etc., but is new to the area.
Thank you!

Hi, Deb and Bill!

thanks for the links and the information!

I'm pretty certain it was the Bosque del Apache that I was trying to drive through - can't remember the exact month, tho.

As between Nov and Mar, is there a best month to go?

Also it looks like dawn and dusk are the best times. Is this correct?

Sorry that I got it wrong easy. The road through Bosque del Apache was drivable without 4x4 when we were there.

Yes, the times to be there are sunrise when the birds leave and sunset when they return. We saw the sunset and seeing ALL those birds come in for landings was amazing. You can see them off in the distance as they approach. It looks like a swarm and it getting bigger and noisier as they get closer. They land, then another group comes in right behind them. They land in ponds and the early ones are lucky - they have plenty of surface to land. The later arrivals really have to be precise as their is less and less surface.

There should be reports on the website with daily census to give you an idea as to when might be the best time to see the mose birds.

Deb

I have been fortunate enough to visit 43 of our wonderful states and to this point I consider New Mexico my favorite in regards to breathtaking scenery.

Gila Cliff Dwellings
Carlsbad Caverns
Route 152 from Silver City to I25
Route 380 from Picacho to Carrizozo

and

White Sands (simply spectacular)

Then, of course, there is the best place in the country to eat...Santa Fe!!

<b>As between Nov and Mar, is there a best month to go (to Bosque)?</b>

Probably last two weeks in November because it isn't as cold and most years the cottonwood trees are showing nice fall colors (yellow and orange). However there's a yearly Festival of the Cranes that attracts many people, so that weekend is crowded. Looks like in 2008 the Festival is Nov 18-23:
http://www.friendsofthebosque.org/aboutfestival.html

We like to be there the week of the full moon in both Nov and Dec.

Dec has no color (leaves have fallen) but more deer are active when the rutting starts. Februrary the pheasants are starting to fight for territory and are easy to see. Usually a lot more bald eagles since smaller streams have frozen up north. Basically the geese and cranes are there all those winter months.

<b>Also it looks like dawn and dusk are the best times. Is this correct?</b>

Usually before sunrise big flocks of geese will take off in a raucous mass fly-out, often circling around and landing repeatedly. This is unbelievable when you first see it. Then the cranes take off in small family groups once the sun comes up. Sunrise is no doubt the best time to see all this.

At sunset the geese and cranes fly back in to roost for the night but more in small groups rather than 20,000 taking off simultaneously like at sunrise. Those are surely the two best times to be there :)

Bill

<b>As between Nov and Mar, is there a best month to go (to Bosque)?</b>

Don't want to beat this to death, but here are two images taken at Bosque in Nov by Gayle Clement showing the fall colors I mentioned ... her entire Bosque portfolio is wonderful:

http://www.pbase.com/gpc/image/89482658
http://www.pbase.com/gpc/image/88966207

deb and Bill: many thanks again!

I'm bookmarking all your links and also have the Festival of the Cranes week marked on my calendar.

Bill, that photo by Gayle Clement is so breathtaking - it's those purple mountains in the distance as well as the fall colors.

Euclid - Agreed! New Mexico is so gorgeous. I think Route 152 should be driven from west to east to get the full effect - is this correct? I drove that route during chili festival time and those little towns in between all celebrating the great CHILI! :)

<i>One of fave Santa Fe sights is a dish of charred tomato salsa at Ore House. Then, of course, there are the chips and margarita(s) that go with it.</i>

http://tinyurl.com/6rdkth

Beachbum is so easy to please. But it <i>is</i> the best salsa in Santa Fe.

((h))

Haha. I'll check it out, thanks :0

hmm. url didn't work. try this one:

&lt;img src=&quot;http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p....jpg&quot;&gt;

:-D BeachGirl!

Bill, those are fantastic photos, both yours and the others you linked. Thanks for sharing them!

Curt, are you planning on coming here in the fall?

Lee Ann

I usually cringe when I see this word, but <i>YUM!!!</i> Thanks BeachGirl! Only a few more months....

Bill - your pictures of Bosque are compelling. I don't mean to hijack this thread - but those pictures are amazing, and make me want to take a trip back to NM.

Lee Ann- Just got back tonight! Will write up a summary tomorrow. I am beat from driving 2000 miles and getting sunburned :P. Bye,

Kurt