Bosque Del Apache NWR, New Mexico
In-Flight Sandhill Crane

Wow! Its the only way to describe possibly the United States premier winter bird photography location. Located 90 miles south of Albuquerqueabout 10 miles from Socorro NM--the wildlife refuge is the winter home to over 30,000 ducks, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, and 55,000 Snow Geese. The number of animals is simply amazing. The evenings and mornings skies are routinely blocked out by thousands of beating wings traveling from one location to another. Every animal movement is an opportunity to make images like no where else in the US. Overall, the spectacle is simply incredible.

Bosque Del Apache straddles the historic Rio Grande river. While the New Mexican desert is generally uninviting to any bird, Bosque Del Apache is an oasis of water diverted from the Rio Grande that attracts thousands of winter birds. This is all due to efforts by a refuge that provides food, water, and protection to its feathered friends. The efforts are ingenious and generally out of view of "Joe Public" and have resulted in tremendous feeding and roosting areas for our subjects.

My affair with Bosque has traveled a kind of funny trail. Years ago in my previous life as an US Air Force fighter pilot, I was intimately familiar with the hazards these birds presented to multi-million dollar aircraft flying at high speed and low altitude while conducting simulated combat tactics. I viewed the area as a location to avoid at all costs due to the significant danger these birds presented. The probability of significanteven catastrophicdamage was high if my aircraft hit one of these birds. I did everything in my power to avoid this and mostly that meant avoiding the entire area. Even though I lived in the region, it didnt remotely occur to me to visit this potential threat to me and my livelihood. I just discounted the site as an airborne hazard and left things at that.

Now, ten years later Ive made my second pilgrimage to Bosque. The first was a single night stayan afternoon and morningand clearly not enough to get a full flavor of the site. This second trip was facilitated by my enrollment in a Naturephotographers.net Shoot The Light (STL) workshop this last December. I spent seven full days in Bosque during this recent trip and in every respect the experience was incredible.

Bosque has many unique areas though the two main onesFarm Loop and Marsh Loopare vastly more popular with photographers and birders alike. Both loops meander around the facility along roads with close access to many types of bird habitats. Ponds for ducks, tall grass for Marsh Wrens, desert sage and cactus for Roadrunners, and cornfields for Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes. It all points to a very diverse ecology and bird habitat. Scattered through this diversity are dozens of American Kestrels, perching Redtail Hawks. There are even a few Bald Eagles to keep things exciting. Im definitely talking about a diverse list of inhabitants.
American Kestral on Perch
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