Where do I go birding and what is this Bosque thing?


 

'Bosque' by definition is a type of gallery forest habitat found along the riparian (new word for me) flood plains of stream and river banks in the southwest United States. It's a term used by the Spaniards that we still use today. Confession: I had to look the up the words 'bosque' and 'riparian.' Judging by the first photo they fit perfectly. The mountains in the background of the top picture are part of the Sandia Mountain range. According to Google, the word 'sandia' also comes from Spanish and translates to 'watermelon,'  which is popularly believed to be a reference to the reddish color of the mountains at sunset. The river that is pictured is the 'mighty' Rio Grande, which is something of a joke around here because on almost any day you can just about walk across it in certain spots. I imagine it was a spectacular river at one time before we put in dams and flood plain control devices. 

There are birds, coyotes, rabbits, fish, frogs, snakes, and porcupines here in the bosque. One day I even saw a muskrat, something I don't think I've ever seen before. The bosque runs roughly 16 miles in Albuquerque, north-south, along the river, but continues under different names for many miles more than that. There are paved and unpaved trails for running, biking, hiking, birding, horseback riding, rafting, and the list goes on. We are fortunate to live near such wonderful areas. For three of my four Ironman full events (140.6 miles: swim = 2.4 miles, bike = 112 miles, run = 26.2 miles), I did almost all my biking and running here. The trails are maintained by the city as well as the forested areas and no, the forest floor is not swept.  You will see the city workers maintaining the paths or volunteers planting new trees or removing non-native species, usually during the spring. The Rio Grande Zoo, Botanical Gardens and the Aquarium all border on the bosque, as well as the Rio Grande Nature Center.

The golden hour, first hour or so after sunrise and before sunset varies here because the forested areas are relatively dense and the sun also has to rise over the mountains. The lighting for pictures can vary greatly as the amount of sunlight changes, so you need to plan accordingly. 


Special thanks to my editor in chief, my wife Cindy. I've lost my english composition skills in retirement. I initially write the blogs and then my wife tries to interpret what the hell I meant. 

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