Voyager America  

Where the Wild Things Are....

The driving force for our trip was traveling to New Mexico to witness the winter return of the Sandhill Cranes to the Bosque del Apache.  This was a first for us both. Slowing down to see birds leads to all kinds of fauna and flora sightings and adventures.  In all, we saw just over 200 different birds and saw 14 birds we had never seen before (life birds).  We saw about 15 mammals (20 if we count the road kill species), a tarantula, several lizards and turtles, a Desert Kingsnake, and an American Alligator. Certain moments when we encountered these amazing creatures will stay with us forever.

Life birds:  Ross's Goose (including the black variant), Montezuma Quail, Rough-legged Hawk, Red-naped Sapsucker, Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Rose-throated Becard, Clark's Nutcracker, Townsend's Solitaire, Crissal Thrasher, Chestnut-collared Longspur, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Black-chinned Sparrow, Cassin's Finch, Black Rosy-Finch.

Life mammals and reptiles: Aoudad (relative of the bighorn sheep), Albert's Squirrel and Desert Kingsnake.

Life bird: Clark's Nutcracker

Life bird: Black Rosy-Finch, along with Brown-capped Rosy Finch and Gray-crowned Rosy Finch.

American Dipper in the Jemez River

Gambel's Quail standing guard for the rest of its flock.

American Snipe in Big Bend National Park, Texas

Just a blur with a deafening sound....Blackbirds by the thousands fly up in the Bosque

Coyote in the Bosque

Pyrrhuloxia, member of the Cardinal family

White-winged Doves

Young buck Mule Deer

Cactus Wren

Two Javelina

American Alligator and Slider Turtles catching some rays at Jekyll Island, GA

Spotted Towhee, male and female White-crowned Sparrows, and Red-winged Blackbird body

Albert's Squirrel on Sandia Mountain near Albuquerque, NM

Acorn Woodpecker on Davis Mountain in Texas

Pronghorn Antelope on the grasslands outside of Magdalena are one of our favorite mammals in
North America. Next to the Cheetah, they are said to be the second fastest mammal on the
planet and are always beautiful to behold.

Wintering Sandhill Cranes in the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, NM