Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge in April 2023
/I was on my way home from Carrollton when I stopped at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge shortly after 7 AM. I stopped in a pull off to get my camera handy…planning to use my car as a blind for some bird photography. Looking up as I finished my preparation, I saw some Northern Bobwhite…realized I would have never seen them in the grass if I hadn’t been stopped already.
A red-winged blackbird was displaying – flashing his colors and screeching.
There are always a few Great Blue Herons…year-round residents.
The egrets (great and snowy) were in breeding plumage. I wondered where they were roosting (and maybe raising young).
There was a white-faced ibis getting breakfast.
Later in the drive, I saw a group of the birds in the reeds along with some Northern Shovelers (I was surprised that the shovelers had not already left for their nesting grounds in the north).
A flock of long-billed dowitchers were feeding in the shallows – probably refueling before continuing their migration.
The morning light was good for some zoomed images of vegetation as well.
My favorite image of the morning was a snowy egret with a pensive stance. The morning light caught the patterns in the water.
Next trip to Hagerman when I go to Carrollton in May, I’ll visit the native plant garden near the visitor center (spend a bit more time on plants).
