TRAVEL- BIRDING / NEW MEXICO

WOODS OF THE APACHE
By Jim Foster

Vehicle headlights illuminated people standing along the gravel road. The common denominator among those gathered was everyone there either had a spotting scope, a tripod with cameras, or field glasses, and all were awaiting the sunrise some half hour in our future.

The cold air was filled with sounds of waterfowl - geese and ducks and the unmistakable waking up calls of sandhill cranes. The sounds seemed to come from all points of the compass. Like the people the birds were waiting for the dawn and the mystical time when something would tell them to take flight.

As the light increased so did the sound. Now there were more people lining the road and filling the observation decks. A tour bus unloaded its human cargo and they joined the early risers in the cold predawn air - steam rising from mouths, noses, and what was left of the morning coffee in go-cups. There was an unspoken sense of anticipation. Most people didn’t even notice the frost coating the grass, weeds, and the wooden handrails of the platforms.

The location of all this activity was the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, near Socorro, New Mexico.
In Spanish, Bosque del Apache means "woods of the Apache," and goes back to the time when early Spanish explorers observed Apaches camped in the riverside forest. Today the name denotes a spectacular national wildlife refuge, one of the special places in the refuge system.

Numerous photographers and bird watchers gather at the refuge each fall to capture with cameras the birds as they conduct their everyday business. Flying from roosting to feeding areas in the morning, then to loafing areas, and then returning to their roosting areas for the night.

Many photographers will drive to the refuge well before sunup bringing lunches and refreshments so they may remain in the fields until the light fails and they return to their RV’s, hotels, or homes.

Bosque del Apache is located on the northern edge of the Chihuahuan desert. Elevations range from about 4500 at the river level to 6,272 at the top of Chupadera peak. Habitats include riparian and desert. Indigenous animals and birds reflect the different habitats on the refuge.

Several species of mammals including coyotes, mule deer, and elk occur on the refuge. Over 340 species of birds and many species of reptiles, amphibians and fish call the refuge home at various times of the year.

In the fall the Bosque del Apache numbers explode with the arrival thousands of birds--including sandhill cranes, geese, and many species of ducks, and other water birds. Feeding snow geese erupt in the sound of thousands of wings when frightened by a stalking coyote. At dusk, flight after flight of geese and cranes return to roost in the marshes.

Comprised of 57,191 acres along the Rio Grande near Socorro, New Mexico. The refuge is located at the northern edge of the Chihuahuan desert, and straddles the Rio Grande approximately 20 miles south of Socorro, New Mexico. The heart of the refuge is about 12,900 acres of moist bottomlands--3, 800 acres are active floodplain of the Rio Grande and 9,100 acres are areas where water is diverted to create extensive wetlands, farmlands, and riparian forests. The rest of Bosque del Apache NWR is made up of arid foothills and mesas, which rise to the Chupadera Mountains on the west and the San Pascual Mountains on the east. Most of these desert lands are preserved as wilderness areas.

The 15-mile auto tour loop allows visitors to enjoy wildlife viewing and photography. Much of the refuge wildlife is conditioned to the road traffic and may be closely observed from vehicles. Even stepping out of your car to get a better shot may not bother them if you move slowly and are quiet. The refuge tour route is open from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset every day of the year.

Observing nature and hiking are permitted in the refuge's three wilderness areas - Chupadera, Indian Well, and Little San Pascual. Primitive camping is available with advance reservations to educational and volunteer groups. At no time are fires allowed on the refuge.

Photographers have been attracted here over the years due to the multitude of fowl and time has selected the sandhill crane as the bird of choice and celebration. Each year the CRANE FESTIVAL is held during the month of November.

The 2006 festival will be the 19th year the City of Socorro, New Mexico and the Bosque del Apache NWR have celebrated the return of the cranes. Tours are offered to introduce visitors to the area, birders will be out from dawn to dusk on and off of the Bosque, and there will be a birding tour on Elephant Butte Lake. Lectures are offered for a variety of wildlife related subjects and there will be workshops conducted in the field or within special facilities. Add to this exhibits, displays, local history and gallery showings and visitors will find a plethora of activities before, after, and during the festival.

For more information about the refuge and the festival go to; http://www.friendsofthebosque.org/crane/ on the web.