Thought I'd send a couple more photos of California Condors. I've posted a few before... They are cropped to an extreme so they aren't good pictures, but!, they are Condors! You can see how they are tagged for tracking purposes. Was very very grateful to see them, and grateful for their comeback. These are very very large birds!!
Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Hi, That's the end of the season for sure. You may still find the birds in good numbers, I can't be for sure. "Friends of the Bosque del Apache" has a site where they list actual counts. You can get an idea but I'd be hard pressed to be encouraging on the numbers. You'd likely still have a wonderful time and lots of opportunities, just without those massive flocks coming and going.

For me, the 2 lens required are a modest wide angle, whatever you have, and the longest lens you have. And a tripod. There are 2 main "contexts" for shooting. One is set up with tripod and shooting birds...probably long periods of time without moving. The other is out of the window of a vehicle, or getting out of a vehicle and quickly shooting or setting up briefly, then moving on. It is also a good idea to be really happy and content with the lens you have and know/use well, and remember, "...thou shalt not lust after thy neighbor's longer lens...it maketh him not a better or happier photographer".

Yep! Fills me with gratitude every day I'm done there that it is in my backyard! FYI, the Birdwatchers RV park has reopened. I've mentioned this before...there are several UGH'ers in New Mexico. I suspect most, like me, are open to consultation for those wanting to visit BdA.

If you've been considering when to visit the BdA, now is the time!! There are more birds than I've seen down there in many years! Cranes, Canada Geese, Snow Geese, ducks, Great Blue Herons, Bald Eagles, hawks, and more...deer, javelinas, skunks, and...drum roll...Bobcats! There are 2 families, one pair with 2 kits. Many sightings at 2 specific places. I was not fortunate enough to be one of those the cats choose to show themselves to...sigh! Certainly not due to lack of effort on my part. Perhaps not living right... The sunrise was spectacular, the cacophony of all the calls mixed together was pure bliss!

North Rim Campground - we left the next to the last day before they closed, on the 15th. Not sure if they close the campground entirely, or just the lodge and staffed services...

Camped 5 nights at the north rim last week. My first time seeing this magnificent place. We hit the aspens right on, saw the buffalo, and on the way home we got California Condors (some shots previously posted...). It was a stellar trip! Cold at night and beautiful weather in the day. I was filled with gratitude every day, all day!! There were people running "rim to rim to rim" - 48 miles, starting before daylight and finishing before dark. Amazing! It was also beautiful to simply sit and soak in the incredible views!

Ha! Thanks one and all for responses and common appreciation for these wonderful creatures!!

They are numbering and tracking devices. In some photos (not posted) the numbers are clearly seen, and I believe each and every one has a tracking device.

Sorry, correction, that should be Navajo Bridge over the Colorado River near Lees Landing. We went to a condor presentation at the Grand Canyon and here’s what they told us: the California Condor is very rare and can have a wing span of 9 feet. In 1982 they captured 22 birds that they believed were the last condors on the earth for a captive breeding program. In the wild a female condor will only lay one egg every two years but when they took an egg away for incubation she would lay another one and even another one after that without the need for fertilization. This is called double or triple clutching. Now it is believed that there are about 500 Condors in the world. Apparently having a bald head like a vulture is cleaner when they go down in the dead animal to eat the carrion that is their only food. Unfortunately they sometimes ingest pieces of ammunition that gives them lead poisoning. When scientists see that a Condor is not moving, (most of them have tracking devices) they capture it, remove the lead, and perform dialysis before returning it to the wild! Oh...and they also intentionally poop on their feet for evaporative cooling purposes!

HoooRaaa! The prize goes to Arcadia1969, and CaptainBobBrown!Lousy photographs, but they were soaring so high sharp wasn’t an option. We spent almost a day hunting for them, finally found them but for hours they were just specks in the sky. 5 minutes before we had to leave, 6 or 7 dropped down to distance where I at least got these. It was in Arizona near Rainbow Bridge over the Colorado River. Made the trip!!

The first three correct answers can feel very good about themselves...

One more thought on this topic - when it comes to catching sight of critters in BdA, it will most likely happen before 9:00am, or after 5pm. In between, you may cruise the entire refuge without seeing a thing. In that 6 hour middle of the day, it is a great time to eat, take a nap, work on images... You get the idea. Some folks come down in the middle of the day and are very disappointed to see nothing after all the hype they may have heard. The animals just won't be out in the middle of the day.
PS Thanks to all for viewing and comments! Long live the Bosque!

The road and vehicle as blind is the gold standard. There are some but few trails, and my take would be you'd be less successful than on the road in a car/blind. The wildlife is somewhat accustomed to cars. On trails, unless it is in the open (not a lot of that) you'd not see animals that were there. And there are actually very few trails. One in particular (near middle of the figure 8) has a trail that is good for the smaller birds migrating through. The larger animals you might hear, but not likely see, although they for sure would see you...that includes the resident mountain lion. I've never seen one, few have, but I understand that they are around.

There are lots of quail, especially right at the entrance to the refuge. The pelicans are unusual. I've seen them once or twice at Bosque, but more often at other places (Bitter Lake, or Elephant Butte). And finally, yes! I am very aware and very grateful for this place and my fortunate proximity!!

Ooopps...guess I mess that up...Oh well...