The next day we went south to visit another wildlife refuge; Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. Covering thousands of acres along the Rio Bravo, it is the winter home for thousands of birds, mostly geese and sandhill cranes. The Rio Bravo is a stop on the Central Flyway for migratory birds that winter on the Rio Bravo or as a stop over on their way to Mexico and Central America.

Because human population of the Rio Bravo valley has altered the course and flow of the river water, refuge management tries to simulate the natural vegetation and water habitat for the birds. Actually, as we learned, there are several refuges along the river that coordinate availability of food and water during the year for the birds. It is so complex and intensive, that it seems almost impossible. Trying to duplicate what was natural requires more work than I ever imagined.


But we have changed the face of the Rio Bravo valley in such a way that nature cannot follow its natural course. We have terraformed it to suit our own purposes without regards for other species. And I am glad and grateful that the national wildlife refuge system is in place to help maintain a place for the birds and other wildlife to stay alive.

We hiked a few trails with Buck the Dog. I practiced my stealth walking to creep up on a group of cormorants and later a painted turtle.

We hiked through the desert area (this is the Chihuahuan desert) where we practiced our tacking skills. We found lizard, bird, snake, deer, rabbit and coyote tracks. And equine. Those were shoeless, but definitely equine tracks. Perhaps burro tracks. Tracking in dry sand is not as easy as people think because sand along the edges of a track will flow back into the impressions and obscure the outline. Wet sand is the best terrain (other than snow).