The
Howland Picture Pages: Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge The
Howland Picture Pages: Bosque del Apache National Wildlife RefugePage by Royce
Last update: $Date: 2004/01/16 03:43:29 $ (UTC)
Bosque del Apache ("Woods of the Apache") National Wildlife Refuge, near the small town of San Antonio, New Mexico, is one of the premier birding spots in North America. Deb and I had a chance to visit the Bosque briefly during some travels in New Mexico in November of 2002. It was an excellent experience despite the short stay -- returning when we have more time is on our list of "must do" birding trips. Plus we love the U.S. Southwest in general, and there are many other locations in the area that are on our list.
Bosque del Apache, established as a refuge in 1939, covers about 30,000 acres along side the Rio Grande river (which Deb insists on pointing out is not as impressive a river as she was expecting, further upstream :). A major attraction of the Bosque is water birds, including several species for which it is world famous such as Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes. 2003 will be the 16th year that the town of Socorro (about 30 km north) and the Bosque del Apache run the "Festival of the Cranes".
Water, soil and crop management all have contributed to the recovery of the Sandhill Cranes from a low of less than 20 over the winter of 1941, to upwards of 15,000 during winters today -- 75% of the Rocky Mountain population of these cranes. (Whooping Cranes also used to winter at the Bosque, but none have done so for a few years at this point.) Farmers as well as refuge staff plant nearby fields with crops especially for the birds that visit the refuge.
There is also a cultural history aspect to the Bosque del Apache. The refuge preserves within it ruins of the Piro, pueblo people who inhabited the fertile river area starting over 700 years ago. After a century of challenges ranging from European diseases to Apache raids, the last Piro fled south around 1680 during the Pueblo Revolt. In addition to Piro ruins, the Bosque also protects historical remnants of El Camino Real, the trade road founded by the Spanish in the late 1500's that ran between Santa Fe and Mexico.
One of the amazing experiences available at the Bosque is to arrive a bit before dawn, and head down to one of the large areas of open water where the Snow Geese are resting in large numbers -- 25,000 or more in the refuge at one time! Once the sun begins to rise, a certain signal seems to propagate instantaneously throughout the flock of geese. They lift off in synchronized waves, filling the air with their honking and the muted thunder of thousands of pairs of wings. This is one of the world-famous sights at the Bosque, of which many photographs have been and will continue to be published.
Another amazing experience can serve as a book-end for the day, bracketing the departure of the geese at dawn. Once the sun starts going down, there are certain areas of water where you can take up a position to wait for the return of the Sandhill Cranes. By day, the cranes are off in nearby fields, feeding. Once the light begins to fade, they all start returning to the water, singly or in small groups. Standing in place, wave after wave after wave of Cranes will pass overhead, sometimes without that much clearance over your head! The Cranes land and begin to cluster together, calling with their guttural voices to one another. (Note that the Cranes also depart in the morning, just not in so dramatic a fashion as the Snow Geese.)
One observation about the Bosque is that, from our perspective, the wetland area seemed very built up and crowded with people. At the time this was one of the few "major" birding spots we had visited. For the middle of nowhere in New Mexico, we were expecting something more like Valley of the Fires. Or like what we're used to in places such as Kananaskis country close to home, or the Minsmere RSPB reserve in England -- more rustic, few paved roads catering to the urge to drive everywhere, and less crowds of people. This is not a criticism; certainly if this approach in the refuge is ecologically and financially viable as it appears to be, then more power to them. We definitely plan to go back, in part to walk other trails outside of the main wetlands area that we didn't get to. These trails in canyons or along the river offer more of the Chihuahuan desert wilderness experience, perhaps closer to what we were originally expecting.
There are advantages to the built up parts of the refuge, of course. The visitor center is a good place to stop in and check on the latest sightings of birds in the refuge. This will provide tips on unusual species to keep an eye out for while out in the terrain. There are also exhibits that provide history and background about the refuge, its wildlife, and the Rio Grande river valley. And there are numerous observation decks around the Auto Tour Loop that provide prime locations from which to watch.
As a side note, the nearby town of San Antonio is known for the Owl Bar & Cafe. The name of this down-to-earth establishment is undoubtedly related to the attraction of the surroundings for birders, but the Owl is actually famed for its green chile cheeseburgers. Clearly these are of more interest to humans than to birds. We read about this fact in the Fodor's guide to New Mexico, and decided to check out the Owl the first evening of our visit to the Bosque.
It had been a little chilly towards end of day, and we and another couple we were traveling with were famished. We can report that the green chile cheeseburgers were absolutely fantastic, accompanied by onion rings and a cold beverage of choice to take the heat of the chiles down. The Owl was absolutely packed with people, many also ordering green chile cheeseburgers which are clearly a well-known menu item. Nobody appeared to leave unsatisfied, so if you are ever in the area, be sure to stop in.
Species of birds we saw at Bosque del Apache, for which there are pages on this site, included:
We saw many other species for which good photos were not obtained on this trip. In fact, in just a few hours we saw a higher density of both species and numbers of individuals than just about anywhere else we have been, let alone other spots we visited during our time in New Mexico. Species of interest included American Kestrel, Golden & Bald Eagle, Gambel's Quail, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, Verdin, Great Egret, Greater Road Runner, Belted Kingfisher, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Marsh Wren, Ring-necked Pheasant, Ring-necked Duck, Spotted Towhee, Black Phoebe, and many others.
Resources where you can find out more:
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Here is a view of one of the ponds at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, taken the morning of Sunday, November 17, 2002. This angle shows layers of terrain receding into the background -- distant trees, hills and ultimately mountains.
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Here is a view of another one of the ponds at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, taken November 16, 2002. From this angle, in contrast to the previous image, the view is deceptively flat, open and empty. After all we are talking about a large flood plain. But the refuge in fact has variations in high desert habitat, including treed and brushy areas, hills, mesas, canyons and so on. And all over, the space is full of birds and other wildlife, though of course they are not always just sitting out in the open.
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Looking the other way from the same spot the previous photo was taken, some of the different habitat appears. Mature trees line the middle ground, while the background is framed by mountains. The Bosque has the Chupadera Mountains to the west, and the San Pascual Mountains to the east. In the foreground, there is an irrigation ditch used to flood the wetlands.
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Here is another large, open pond that same day. There is a lot of water at the Bosque, with areas like this one being flooded seasonally to create the wetland environment. There are some 7,000 acres of flood plain supplied by waters diverted from the Rio Grande. I like the way the water and sky would blur together if not for the separating line of reeds and distant hills.
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Looking to the east near the end of our first day at the Bosque, while we wait for Sandhill Cranes, everything takes on a fiery hue.
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The fall colors of this tree are set off by the light of the sinking sun. This is a view to the west in the same spot as the above photo. We were staking out this pond along the entrance road to the refuge proper, awaiting the return of Sandhill Cranes coming back from feeding in nearby fields. A couple of early returnees are beneath the tree. Most of the cranes landed off camera to the right, in more open water.
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A few minutes later, the same tree is plunged into darkness as the sun dips low towards the tops of the Chupadera Mountains to the west.
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Fall colors are again emphasized by the setting sun, to the right on the same pond as the previous two photos.
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This final sequence of photos shows a glimpse of the wonderful sunset we experienced at the crane pond.
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As we watched, the tones progressed over a few short minutes from the rich golden hue above, to a deep red as if a bed of coals was used to shade the sky.
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Is this just another sunset? It seems more like the fiery aftermath of some distant volcanic eruption.
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