A new trail discovered in Albuquerque

I recently went to the Valle de Oro to see if any white-fronted geese were there for the winter. It was pretty quiet on the refuge though.  It was a beautiful day and Scarlett and I wanted to go hiking.  I hadn’t taken her out for a couple weeks because I had been so sick.

While driving the far back road on the refuge I noticed a parking area next to the irrigation ditch that runs along the river. It was parking for a new reclamation project to ensure the health of the bosque.

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Looked like a good place to explore so Scarlett and I headed out. Next to the parking area was a pasture with horses grazing. As my friend Valerie knows…I love photographing horses! 😉

I couldn’t resist this beautiful fella!

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Love the colors and shaggy forelock

As soon as we entered the cover of cottonwood trees there were birds everywhere! I love that!

They were difficult to photograph as they were determined to hide in the grasses or up in the canopy. But I managed to get a few pics.

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Ruby-Crowned Kinglet

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Song Sparrow

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American Kestral with breakfast

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White-Crowned Sparrow

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Northern Flicker

Scarlett was having a blast. She was running big circles around me up and down the trail. She had lots of puppy energy to burn. I did manage to get a nice photo of her when she sat briefly.

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Scarlett

While walking along the irrigation ditch I kept interrupting a Red-Tailed Hawk trying to sun himself. He would see me and fly ahead to land and sun again. But I would keep disturbing his attempts. Finally he flew further away. I managed to catch a pic in flight before he was gone for good.

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Red-tailed Hawk

I saw lots of woodpeckers but they were difficult to capture on film. But I managed to get a great pic of a Downy.

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Downy Woodpecker

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Eastern Bluebird

After a nice hike I drove back through the refuge. Still no white-fronted geese but lots of other birds. The meadowlarks were busy feeding in the grasses. They can just disappear on the ground…even with that bright yellow front.

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Western Meadowlark

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Say's Phoebe

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Savannah Sparrow

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Yellow-Rumped Warbler

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Dark-Eyed Junco - pink sided

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Sandhill Crane

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Bewick Wren

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American Kestrel

I decided to stop by the duck ponds on my way home to see what might be around.

I was rewarded with quite a few waterfowl on the water.

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Redhead

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Canvasback female

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Ring-Necked Duck

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American Wigeon

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Northern Pintail

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Northern Shoveler male

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Northern Shoveler female

I was very entertained by a Canvasback bathing.

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Canvasback male

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It was a wonderful morning to heal my body, mind and soul.

4 thoughts on “A new trail discovered in Albuquerque

  1. Love the shot of Scarlett and the Red tailed hawk in flight. Good job on both because I think Scarlett moves around more than the hawk…lol !!!

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