We had never visited it before and we didn't know what to expect. It far exceeded our expectations. We ate lunch at the visitor's center and walked through an arts and crafts show. We also saw lots of wildlife that had been rescued, including owls, foxes, snakes and even a wolf. Then we drove the loop around the preserve. My photos just don't do it justice. I have never seen so many birds and cranes at the same time! They were innumerable. On the first little lake there even lived 2 bald eagles. This was the first time I'd ever seen bald eagles in the wild.
When you really think it, it is an amazing journey these birds take. Traveling thousands of miles every year. They start in Canada and head towards the equator for the winter. This is just a spot of rest for them.
The kids really enjoyed themselves too. I was satisfied that they were able to see all of this beautiful creation and appreciate it. Sometimes I wonder if I would've appreciated this as a kid, or if it would've been too "boring" for me. But I think it helped that they saw all the adults thoroughly enjoying themselves and glorying in God's creation too.
It also helped that they had their best buds/cousins there to play with too. They are all so precious with eachother. I love it! Listening to Cole and Ben in the backseat of the car, I overheard Cole explaining a game he concocted to Ben. It went like this: "Ok Ben, we are going to be ninjas and then we are going to get lots of snacks and have a tea party." Can you tell he has an older sister?
At the end of the day, as we were nearing the end of the loop, we saw the most spectacular sight of all: the "Landing". Countless numbers of birds (we never did figure out what kind they were: maybe geese of some kind), swooped down into this field to eat. It was like watching bomber plans coming in on a target; wave after wave of birds. We thought they were all in, and then off in the distance we'd see more coming in. It was awesome! Tim and I decided this was definitely an activity we'll want to repeat next year.
Ok, I'm not a professional photographer, but this photo is my absolute fav!
Cranes, cranes and more cranes
Our mystery birds
Coming in for a landing
1 comment:
What a great day we had at the Bosque. It was almost as much fun for us to watch the kids as the birds--they were captivated. A day like this brings a great perspective on our lives and times.
The only thing that would have made it better is finishing it off with a Ninja Tea Party....
LZS
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