Touring Southen NM, Bosque del Apache

Dawn at Bosque del Apache. Check out the surrounding mountain view. Truly magical.

Only 75 miles south of Albuquerque, Bosque del Apache (Spanish for "woods of the Apache") National Wildlife Refuge is 7000 acres along the Rio Grande Valley in Socorro County, New Mexico. It ranges in elevation from 4,500 to 6,272 feet above sea level. What makes Bosque del Apache NWR one of the most spectacular places in North America to visit is not only the incredible number of different species of birds but also the sheer number of them that migrate here during the winter months. The refuge supports, tens of thousands of birds (377 species)--including sandhill cranes, Arctic geese, many kinds of ducks, various land birds such as roadrunners and pheasants. The peak season is from November to March. In early December the refuge may harbor as many as 18,000 sandhill cranes, 57,000 ducks of many species, and over 40,000 snow geese. It's mesmerizing to see and hear so many birds in one place.

Views at Dawn. My camera totally sucks.

Fly-out at Dawn, 11/30/08. See the entire video. At times the screen is black because the sky is covered with birds.

Dawn is the best time to come here. It is when the birds take flight in mass. We arrived the evening before. We stayed in Socorro NM, a town of 8,000 population, 1/2 hour away from the site. We got up at 4:30 AM and were out of the hotel room by 5:30 AM-- equipped with binoculars, not so good camera and totally bundled up to enjoy the cold morning. Sunrise was at 7:04 AM. We left the kids at the hotel. They had warned us the night before that they had no interest in getting up that early in the morning. It was best for everyone. We arrived the park at 6:00 AM. The morning view was spectacular. I have tried to share the experience by taking a video with my very primitive digital camera. Know that it does not justify the breath taking experience of seeing and hearing thousands of birds taking off all at once. Hopefully it will give you an idea of the greatness the refuge offers the soul and mind. Many professional photographers and filmmakers travel here to create films and material for nature shows and outdoors type magazines. See an example of a camera in my pictures.

Views at Dusk. See Cuong's camera, a professional publisher.

Another time to be here is at dusk. It's when the birds fly back in the water in thousands. We were able to experience both Dusk and Dawn, "Fly in" and "Fly out". Satruday evening, we arrived right at Dusk which gave us enough time to drive the 12 mile loop around the refuge before it was too dark and we were able to plan our morning visit at dawn. Several accessible viewing platforms are available along the route and we wanted to make sure we know the prime viewing spot for the fly out.

The cranes taking a stroll in shalow water at sun rise. Very cool birds.

The refuge was not always so rich with species. In the 1930s, the Rocky Mountain population of greater sandhill cranes was severely declining. Habitat loss in wintering and breeding areas, land use changes and other factors had taken their toll on the population. In 1941, fewer than 20 sandhills wintered on Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge (NWR).
Since 1939, refuge staff, volunteers, cooperators, and other agencies have worked to restore wintering habitat along the Rio Grande for the cranes. Intensive management on the refuge, including moist soil management (growing natural wetland foods), cooperative agriculture, and crop manipulation have helped the population recover dramatically. Bosque del Apache NWR hosts about three-quarters of the Rocky Mountain sandhill crane population each winter, totaling up to 18,000 birds.

See link to the official site: http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/newmex/bosque/index.html