Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge

Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge
Winter feeding grounds for thousands of Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese

Another perfect winter day in Southern New Mexico...the sun is warm, the sky is blue. In the distance we glimpse snow-capped mountain peaks, but here the only white we see is thousands of snow geese. We're at the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, situated on the banks of the Rio Grande river, about midway between Las Cruces and Albuquerque.

Snow geese rest on a pond before resuming
their feeding in the grain fields.

Marshes are flooded in November in preparation
for the arrival of the migrating birds. Water levels
are maintained by a series of gravity-fed canals.

Bosque del Apache consists of about 57,000 acres, 13,000 of which are wetlands, and the remainder wooded areas and grain fields which provide food and cover for migratory birds. The Bosque is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and is part of a system of more than 500 such refuges in North America. These refuges exist to provide a safe haven where birds migrating from thousands of miles to the north may spend the winter, feeding and replenishing their body fat in preparation for the long journey back to their breeding and nesting grounds.
Such refuges also serve the important function of providing the public an "up-close and personal" wildlife experience.

True bird enthusiasts will find many species of interest at Bosque del Apache. What attracts the more casual visitor, however, are the large numbers of Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes that winter here. Up to 50,000 geese and up to 17,000 cranes repeat a fascinating ritual every day. At sunrise, they rise in noisy flight from the ponds and marshes where they spend the night safe from predators. They move to the grain fields, where they feed almost continuously all day, occasionally lifting up in nervous waves when frightened by something. Then, as sunset approaches, they return in mass flights to the ponds for the night. The process happens day in,day out, from mid-November when birds start to arrive, until around the first of March when they head back north.

Noisy flights of geese and cranes alight at the grain
   fields for another day of feeding. Local farmers help
   the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plant corn and
   other grain crops to sustain the birds through the
   winter.

1goose.jpg (3449 bytes)
Snow geese weigh 6-7 pounds. Most come from Northern Canada, and they fly up to 1500 miles non-stop, cruising at up to 40 miles per hour. These geese mate for life, and sometimes are accompanied by their young when they migrate.

The Sandhill crane is 3-4 feet tall, with a wingspan up to 6 feet. They breed in Canada, Alaska, and Siberia. Sandhill cranes were once almost extinct, refuges like the Bosque have helped them recover dramatically.

The best times to visit the Bosque are mid-November through mid-February.
A small fee entitles the visitor to spend all day exploring. The auto loop tour
takes you close to the grain fields and the marshes. Stay until the sun goes
down, to see the amazing exodus of the birds from the fields to the marshes,
as well as a breathtaking New Mexico sunset!

Two final stragglers prepare to settle onto a pond for the night. After a day at the Bosque, head up the road to nearby San Antonio, NM, to the Owl Bar & Cafe. Legend has it that the New Mexico favorite, the Green Chile Cheeseburger, was invented here. All we can say is that it was worth the trip!

We found the Bosque so fascinating that we've produced a video about it. This video is one of our "Postcards from New Mexico" series, designed to introduce viewers to some of this state's most interesting attractions. The video is short, only about 10 minutes long, but contains lots of information about the refuge, and some great pictures of the birds of the Bosque. Order the video now, and we'll include free shipping.

"Bosque del Apache" video,
Only $8.50 (click here to order)