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Trip Report: Bosque Del Apache & White Sands - December 2022
Trip Report: Bosque Del Apache & White Sands - December 2022
by Trevor LaClair
Leaving the hotel by 5:00 am, we sipped our coffee and peered out into the dark, desert landscape during the wee hours of the morning as we departed from Albuquerque, New Mexico. We were off to begin our expedition in Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge. A wildlife management area containing 57,331 acres of desert, mountains, and wetlands along the Rio Grande River. The drive took us less than two hours to reach our destination to photograph the well-known snow geese blast-off at sunrise. This marks the beginning of the Bosque de Apache & White Sands photography expedition with Backcountry Journeys. A five-day journey beginning with orientation on December 5, 2022.
Waiting for the sun to rise, we stood along the bank near the flight deck until it was time for the blast-off. Clouds painted the sky with an array of colors as the sun’s light reflected off the wispy layers. We stood in silence, waiting for the rising sun to reveal the treasures that have been hidden in the dark. The air was cool and the environment was quiet. A small mouse foraged in the thick brush and scurried beneath the line of tripods, searching for food. Everyone was ecstatic to start this expedition with an epic blast-off.
Tik tok, Tik tok, our eyes adjusted to the low light, and the landscape slowly revealed what gift was in store for us… Cranes. Just a few sandhill cranes. No geese were in sight. Disappointment devoured our excitement. Even though there were no geese in sight, we still had a great opportunity to photograph the cranes’ silhouettes with the vibrant colors of reds, blues, and pinks reflecting off the water. After about an hour of waiting, a large flock of snow geese departed from a distant pool that remained out of view from the refuge’s road. Luckily for us, the geese flew right above us, beneath the vibrant sky, before traveling to their morning feeding ground. Was this a gift from the geese, or simply mockery due to a missed opportunity? We may not have received our epic blast-off shot but we still managed to walk away that morning with a few photographs of the native waterfowl.
After spending the rest of the morning photographing sandhill cranes and snow geese, we had lunch before driving down to Alamogordo. Home to White Sands National Park. The two-hour drive through the Chihuahuan desert took us past a National Historic Landmark known as Trinity Site. A piece of the United States’ History where the world’s first atomic bomb was detonated on July 16, 1945. Continuing onward, the brown, desert landscape turned into jagged, black, volcanic rock. We have entered the Valley of Fires Recreation Area. A 44-mile lava flow scarred the landscape nearly 5,000 years ago after Little Black Peak erupted. We followed this river of rock for nearly an hour into the Tularosa Basin where White Sands National park awaits our arrival.
White Sands is home to the largest gypsum sand dunes in the world. Entering the park, large dunes towered above our Mercedes sprinter van. We hiked the compacted, rolling dunes toward the San Andres Mountains where the sun will be setting. Once we found a spot in the sand where ripples replaced footprints, we set up our cameras and captured the burst of light reflecting off the clouds at sunset. The following morning, we repeated this activity. Except for this time, we faced the sun rising over the Sacramento Mountains east of the Tularosa Basin.
Returning to Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge late afternoon, we explored the visitor center. I noticed that they redesigned the interpreted booths in the center since the last tour we did in 2021. This provided a new, fun opportunity to learn more about the ecosystem. However, we didn’t stop there just to go gift shopping. Nearby was the Desert Arboretum Trail which consisted of a small, native garden containing a water feature and two bird feeders. This was a desert hotspot for a variety of small birds such as roadrunners, red-winged blackbirds, Gambel's quail, and more! This was an opportunity to put our patience and bird photography skills to the test as we attempted to capture images of the birds fluttering around the garden.
The day concluded at a small pond along Highway 1 in the refuge. The ideal image was to capture the silhouette of the cranes as they returned to their roost for the night. There was just one little problem. No cranes! Sure, we got a few here and there that landed in the pond, but we were expecting numerous flocks of cranes soaring in, one group after another. Time passed as we continued to wait patiently. Then, as the sun lay to rest, distant birds took flight and traveled toward us. Flock by flock, cranes glided over our heads and landed in the shallow pool of water. Even though we lost the glistening light of the golden hour, another opportunity was presented. The full moon! In our favor, several flocks of cranes flew directly in front of the rising moon during blue hour. Several cranes glided in until it was too dark for both birds and photographers. With a magical conclusion to the evening, we packed up our gear and rushed off to dinner.
Our final full day at Bosque del Apache began in silence near the flight deck. Still no snow geese. Could this be strike two of our blast-off attempt? Where have all the geese gone? Once again, disappointment filled the air. Suddenly, right as we began to lose hope, thousands of distant geese took flight and landed in the marsh directly in front of us. Mother nature answered our prayers! And just in time for sunrise! Our fingers began operating in overdrive as we prepared our cameras and adjusted the settings. Then, right before the sun broke the horizon, BLAST-OFF! The avalanche of geese burst into the air, circled above us, and landed right back where they started. What a relief! We finally got to photograph what everyone had wished for. That just goes to show that luck and patience are key to wildlife photography.
That evening, after a classroom session, we visited a radio telescope facility known as the Very Large Array, located west of Socorro, NM. After a self-guided tour, the plan was to spend the sunset photographing the satellites in the high desert prior to practicing astral photography. After investigating the position of the satellites in relation to the astral landscape, we all agreed it was a better idea to bypass the satellites and rush back to Bosque del Apache to photograph cranes and the moon once again. The following morning, the trip concluded after one more sunrise in Bosque del Apache. Considering there were two guides on the trip, we decided to split into two groups. One group focused on the cranes while the other group photographed the geese. After a cold morning of shooting, we packed up our gear and returned to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where we bid our farewells.
Learn more about our Bosque Del Apache & White Sands photography workshop!
Learn more about our Bosque Del Apache & White Sands photography workshop!
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AUTHOR
AUTHOR
Trevor LaClair is an explorer who is passionate about nature photography. After growing up in Missouri, Trevor ventured across the country guiding in different places, including the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem where he spent his free time tracking grizzlies and watching wolves.
After receiving his Bachelors in Fisheries and Wildlife from the University of Missouri, Trevor obtained a Masters in Biology from Miami University. During the past few years, Trevor has had epic adventures exploring places such as Komodo National Park, British Columbia, Serengeti, and the Great Barrier Reef. He loves playing outside and going on epic adventures. His mission is to inspire people around the world to appreciate nature and conserve this planet’s natural wonders. Through entertainment and education, Trevor uses the power of media to bring viewers on global adventures. You can follow Trevor LaClair on his adventures by checking out his website trekkingwithtrevor.com
After receiving his Bachelors in Fisheries and Wildlife from the University of Missouri, Trevor obtained a Masters in Biology from Miami University. During the past few years, Trevor has had epic adventures exploring places such as Komodo National Park, British Columbia, Serengeti, and the Great Barrier Reef. He loves playing outside and going on epic adventures. His mission is to inspire people around the world to appreciate nature and conserve this planet’s natural wonders. Through entertainment and education, Trevor uses the power of media to bring viewers on global adventures. You can follow Trevor LaClair on his adventures by checking out his website trekkingwithtrevor.com
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BACKCOUNTRY JOURNEYS
"Backcountry Journeys offers guests the unique opportunity to explore our natural world from behind their own lens. We run a selection of hand-crafted Photo Tours, Workshops & Safaris connecting passionate people to exceptional experiences. Locations worldwide.
- Russ Nordstrand, Backcountry Journeys Founder & Director
- Russ Nordstrand, Backcountry Journeys Founder & Director
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All Images & Content are property of Backcountry Photography Tours, Workshops & Safaris LLCs - Copyright 2024
BACKCOUNTRY JOURNEYS
"Backcountry Journeys offers guests the unique opportunity to explore our natural world from behind their own lens. We run a selection of hand-crafted Photo Tours, Workshops & Safaris connecting passionate people to exceptional experiences. Locations worldwide.
All Images & Content are property of Backcountry Journeys Photography Tours, Workshops & Safaris LLC - Copyright 2024
TRIP CATALOG
Download our Trip Catalog for detailed information on our many destinations for photography tours, workshops, and safaris.