BOSQUE DEL APACHE, NEW MEXICO
The Bosque is an excellent place to practice taking flock images.
The Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge is in Socorro, in the Rio Grande Valley in New Mexico. Snow Geese and Ross’s Geese winter there, numbering in the tens of thousands, and also about 10,000 Sandhill Cranes. The place offers great opportunities for taking flock images, as well as portraits and flight shots. The birds are fearless and feed confidently near photographers standing calmly by their tripods. When I was trying to find a really low angle to shoot from, I noticed that the birds were not used to people lying on the ground; they were very suspicious of me because I was behaving differently. The more openly the photographer was in sight, the closer the birds came! After the wariness of the birds in Europe, this was decidedly delightful.
Bosque del Apache has fairly large areas of fresh water, where the geese and cranes roost. The birds seem to favor certain areas over others, and this changes from one year to another. Make sure to get out early, a couple of hours before sunrise, because the beautiful sunrises can take your breath away, especially if there are clouds in the sky. Besides, if you’re not out early enough, you’ll probably miss the spectacle of the geese bursting up into the sky en masse. With a bit of luck, you may be in the right place at the right time—it’s a fabulous moment to have thousands of Snow Geese flying just a few yards over your head!
The geese and cranes are fed at the refuge, and the corn is grown in large fields along its edge. Sometimes the birds feed right by the side of the road, where you can try your hand at flight shots. Throughout the day there may be huge flocks lifting off simultaneously; the coyotes and the Bald Eagles take their fair share from the throngs, and when they hunt, they scare the flocks up into the air.
Large numbers of waterbirds and raptors winter in Bosque del Apache. When you drive along the roads inside the refuge you come across many species, and you can use your car as a blind to photograph species such as Northern Shovelers, Northern Pintails, American Wigeons, American Kestrels, Red-tailed Hawks, and Northern Harriers. The Greater Roadrunner is also a common sight along the roads inside the refuge and is best photographed from the car.
Bosque del Apache is teeming with wintering birds from October to March, and most of the visiting photographers come in November and December. The annual week-long Festival of the Cranes is held in November, with up to 10,000 visiting photographers. The visitor center has feeding stations and you can photograph such species as Gambel’s Quail, White-crowned Sparrow, and Red-winged Blackbird.
After the cold night, a mist rises from the warm water; the mist shows up especially well when backlit
Nikon D3S, 70–200mm f/2.8, 1/2000 second, 200mm, f/10.0, ISO 1600, handheld camera. New Mexico, December 2010.
Early morning flight of Snow Geese in superb conditions (Chen caerulescens)
Nikon D3S, 24–70mm f/2.8, 1/400 second, 24mm, f/6.3, ISO 3200, handheld camera. New Mexico, December 2010.
Sandhill Cranes heading toward their roosting grounds (Grus canadensis)
Nikon D3S, 200–400mm f/4.0, 1/2000 second, 400mm, f/10.0, ISO 800, Gitzo tripod, Manfrotto 701 video head. New Mexico, December 2010.
Snow Geese landing in a field to feed (Chen caerulescens)
Nikon D3S, 200–400mm f/4.0, 1/1250 second, 400mm, f/6.3, ISO 400, Gitzo tripod, Manfrotto 701 video head. New Mexico, December 2010.
Sandhill Cranes flying back to the feeding fields from their roosts in early morning light (Grus canadensis)
Nikon D3S, 200–400mm f/4.0, 1/1250 second, 200mm, f/8.0, ISO 800, Gitzo tripod, Manfrotto 701 video head. New Mexico, December 2010.
Northern Harriers along the roads of the refuge are quite easily photographed from the car (Circus cyaneus)
Nikon D3S, 200–400mm f/4.0 plus 1.4x extender, 1/3200 second, 560mm, f/8.0, ISO 800, car as a blind. New Mexico, December 2010.
Gambel’s Quail at the visitor center’s feeding station (Callipepla gambelii)
Nikon D3S, 200–400mm f/4.0, 1/1250 second, 400mm, f/8.0, ISO 800, Gitzo tripod, Manfrotto 701 video head. New Mexico, December 2010.
There is also a feeding pond behind the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro where you can photograph American Wigeons, American Coots, and Ring-necked Ducks at close range. The city parks with their berry trees and bushes draw berry-eating birds in winter, such as American Robins and Cedar Waxwings.
The closest decent-sized airport is in Albuquerque, which is a couple of hours’ drive from Socorro, where you can find accommodations and restaurants. The drive from Socorro to the Bosque takes about 30 minutes (about 40 km/25 mi).
Arthur Morris, one of the world’s leading bird photographers, organizes hugely popular photo tours to the Bosque every November. Those wanting to travel on their own can buy Arthur’s very useful Bosque Site Guide from his online store (https://store.birdsasart.com/shop). The PDF guide includes annual updates to the best and always changing bird sites!
You can find more information about Bosque del Apache at www.friendsofthebosque.org.
An American Robin feeding in one of the city parks in Socorro (Turdus migratorius)
Nikon D3S, 200–400mm f/4.0, 1/1250 second, 400mm, f/8.0, ISO 800, Gitzo tripod, Manfrotto 701 video head. New Mexico, December 2010.