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At the break of dawn we were back down at Bosque del Apache in hopes of seeing the spectacle of thousands of geese arrive and take off from the water. Against the pink and red sunrise, geese started to appear in flocks of hundreds, the cacophony sounding like cheers in a football stadium. Watching them settle en masse in the cold water made us feel even colder in the 36 degree morning air. But the show was well worth it, birds continuously amassing overhead, settling into narrow openings of water, jostling neighbors. Snow Geese predominated, with Ross's Geese mixed into the flock of 8,000-10,000 birds. A lone Bald Eagle flyover caused the crowd to explode into the air. Resettling, they eventually decided it was time to move out with another loud mass exodus overhead.
Today is our last day of the tour. Heading up I-25 to Albuquerque we now pass pistachio groves, similar to the earlier miles of pecan groves. After lunch it's up Sandia Mountain (10,000 ft) where there is snow and the chance to see some scarce rosy-finches. Unfortunately they made their quick unpredictable appearance about an hour before us. We waited in the 32 degree windy but sunny weather for 2.5 hours hoping for a second appearance, but all we got was wind blown and cold. Families from the city came up briefly to experience the snow, not dressed at all for cold weather.
A nice hot shower was just what we needed before our final dinner. Good trip, iconic Southwest mountain and desert views, and some nice birds.
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