Arrival
I will be arriving in Socorro on Wednesday evening, January 14, to scope things out on Thursday. The “official” field trip will be on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, January 16-18, but members are welcome to arrive early to get settled.
Locations
Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge is about 20-minutes south of Socorro, NM. Drive south on I-25 and take exit 139 to San Antonio onto U.S. 380. In San Antonio, turn south onto State Highway 1. There is a nice visitor center on the right, and the entrance station where admission fees are paid is just a little further on the left.
1001 State Highway 1and drive to the NWR
San Antonio, NM 87832
575-835-1828https://www.fws.gov/refuge/bosque-del-apache
Ladd S. Gordon Waterfowl Complex: Bernardo Waterfowl Management Area is less than 30-minutes north of Socorro. From Socorro, drive north on I-25 to Exit 175. After exiting the freeway, cross to the east of the Interstate on U.S. 60. Once on the east side of I-25, turn north onto State Highway 116./U.S. 85, Drive for about three miles. The Bernardo Waterfowl Management Area will be on the right. It is open from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset.
WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT:
Sandhill cranes are stately birds that can stand as much as five feet tall and can have wingspans of more than six feet. Their beautiful ash and gray plumage culminates in a vibrant reddish forehead and crown. After spending summers in Canada, Alaska, and the northern U.S., as many as 10,000-plus sandhill cranes and 25,000-plus snow geese overwinter along the Rio Grande in New Mexico, from late October through late-January, primarily at Bosque del Apache and the State of New Mexico’s Ladd S. Gordon Waterfowl Complex Bernardo Waterfowl Management Area, roughly parallel to I-25. Canada geese and numerous other bird species share the area with the cranes.
On December 10, I spoke with a staff member at Bosque del Apache about their bird numbers this year. She indicated that Bosque del Apache NWR has excellent numbers this season, better than last year, with thousands of birds currently there. She indicated that, because of drought this past summer, the NM State Wildlife area was unable to irrigate their corn this past summer, so their bird numbers appear to be somewhat down.
Both the national and state wildlife areas include dirt roadways that circle the waterfowl areas. Ample parking makes it easy to stop and get great photos. The birds start arriving each day during dawn and leaving around dusk. So, it’s a good idea to get there early and set up to start shooting as soon as they begin arriving.
Admission to the Bosque del Apache NWR is $5.00 per vehicle unless you have a national park pass in which case admission is free. Admission to the Bernardo Waterfowl Management Area is free.
This field trip will provide opportunities to photograph the hundreds, if not thousands, of majestic sandhill cranes in beautiful surroundings along with many other bird species. Three hundred and sixty degrees of spectacular landscape photo ops are also in the area if you get tired of being overwhelmed by spectacular birds.
TRAVEL:
I will be driving along U.S. 380 from McKinney to San Antonio, NM before briefly turning north on I-25 for a few miles to Socorro. (Yes, the same U.S. 380 that starts in Greenville, runs through McKinney and Denton, and terminates at I-25 in San Antonio, NM.) It’s about a ten- to eleven-hour drive. If anyone else plans on staying at the Holiday Inn Express in Socorro and wants to arrive on Wednesday, January 14 and return on Sunday, January 18, I have room for another person and their gear. Others may wish to carpool together, as well.
Of course, it’s much easier to fly to Albuquerque, rent a car, and drive just over an hour south to Socorro. Another option is to fly to El Paso, rent a car, and drive for just under three hours north to Socorro. I plan to bring more gear than I am comfortable lugging on an airplane, so I’ll drive.
SUGGESTED EQUIPMENT:
Sturdy Tripod(s) (ideally one with a gimble head for tracking birds-in-flight. I will be taking one tripod with a gimble head and another with a ball head for shots not involving birds-in-flight.)
Telephoto Lens (A zoom adds flexibility. The longer the lens, the better. I will be taking a 70-200 mm zoom and a 200-600 mm zoom. I will also have 1.4X and 2.0X teleconverters to extend my range.)
Wide-angle lens for landscape photography (A zoom lens adds flexibility.)
Extra Batteries and Memory Cards
Water
Snacks
Warm clothing. New Mexico is much higher in altitude than the DFW area, and the weather can get much colder. So, be prepared for anything. It snowed at Bosque del Apache the last time I was there but, later, warmed up enough that I needed to shed some layers. Wearing layers is advisable since they can be added or removed as necessary. There is no way to know what the weather will be like this far in advance, so prepare for anything.
OTHER PHOTO-WORTHY ATTRACTIONS SINCE YOU’RE IN CENTRAL NEW MEXICO
*National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) Very Large Array (VLA) (50 miles west of Socorro. https://public.nrao.edu/visit/very-large-array)
Fort Craig Historic Site (50 miles south of Socorro. https://www.blm.gov/visit/fort-craig-historic-site)
San Lorenzo Canyon (50 miles northwest of Socorro. https://www.blm.gov/visit/san-lorenzo-canyon)
Albuquerque Old Town (80 miles north of Socorro. https://www.albuquerqueoldtown.com)
City of Socorro Historic Plaza and Walking Tour (https://socorronm.org/location-activity/city-socorro-historic-walking-tour)
*The VLA is very cool!
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Contact me if you have questions:
Tom Martin
HNP Field Trip Coordinator
469-261-3045
hollyfox07@gmail.com