Bosque del Apache is one of the most spectacular National Wildlife Refuges in North America. Tens of thousands of birds--including Sandhill cranes, Arctic geese, and a varieties of ducks--gather each autumn and stay through the winter.

At dawn, the cranes and geese erupt in explosions of wings seeking to forage in nearby fields. At dusk, flight after flight of geese and cranes return to roost in the marshes. Much of the pleasure of watching these birds includes listening to their vocalizations.

Bosque del Apache is located south of San Antonio, New Mexico, approximately 80 miles south of Albuquerque. The refuge is 57,331 acres of bottomlands and floodplains along the Rio Grande.
Bosque del Apache NWR cooperates with local farmers to grow crops for wintering waterfowl and cranes. Farmers plant alfalfa and corn, harvesting the alfalfa and leaving the corn for wildlife. The refuge staff grows corn, winter wheat, clover, and native plants as additional food.
During the week of our visit the number of birds in residence at Bosque were approximately as indicated on the first image. (A few images were take at the Refuge in Bernardo, New Mexico, approximately 40 miles north of Bosque.)