Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge is located about 15 miles South of Socorro New Mexico.  It is one of the premier birding spots in the United States.  I have made dozens of visits to this wonderful part of the upper Chihuahuaian Desert. 

I arrived at the town of San Antonio just North of the refuge and managed to get a few photographs of a cemetery and ruins of and old adobe house (view galleries).  San Antonio is a fragmented, dumpy, unincorporated little village like so many scattered  across New Mexico.  San Antonio is “world renown” for the Green Chile Cheese Burger served at the Owl Bar and Café. 

The last of the Sandhill Cranes were still hanging out… I suppose they never saw the “flyer” that indicated it was time to head north.   …couldn’t resist…  The best birds of the day were a Bald Eagle and some Northern Shovelers.   There were also the usual birds, mallards, coots, gulls, common hawks, peeps.   It’s always great to go there even when the birds are not at their peak.