Festival of the Cranes

2012-01-22T14:33:00.002-07:00

This is the final post for the Festival of the Cranes.

Thank you Everyone!

2011-11-21T15:13:00.006-07:00

Thank you all for making the 2011 Festival of the Cranes a great success!

We appreciate your participation - thank you everyone from all over New Mexico, the US and other countries for coming and joining us for our workshops and lectures and tours!

We invite you to attend next year, too.

We also wish to thank the many, many valued volunteers who make the Festival possible.

Thanks to the Refuge, Refuge Manager Tom Melanson, and Fish & Wildlife staff and biologists; the city of Socorro; the Friends of the Bosque del Apache NWR and our Festival Coordinators - Robyn Harrison and the Friends' executive director, Leigh Ann Vradenburg and our Bosque Nature Store Manager, Shirleen Greenwood. and our art tent participants and exhibitors

Many dedicated people work each year

to create a Festival highlighting

the beauty and importance of

the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge

for all birds and wildlife which rely on it for their survival

and to create a Festival full of joy for the world we share with them

Official Bird Count as of November 17, 2011

2011-11-18T11:54:00.002-07:00

The Festival is in Full Swing!

Refuge Biologist Official Bird Count as of November 17, 2011

Ducks .... 97,174
Canada Geese .... 285
Light Geese .... 46,264
Sandhill Cranes .... 4,511
Bald and Golden Eagles .... 5
Swans .... 0
American White Pelicans .... 0
American Coot .... 2410
Marsh and Water Birds .... 15
Shorebirds .... 6
Gulls and Terns .... 1
Hawks and Owls .... 17

Festival 2011 has begun!

2011-11-15T06:29:00.003-07:00

What a glorious morning! The temperature is above freezing, there is not a breath of a breeze, and the birds are here in force. More than 5000 cranes are in the river valley helping us celebrate this 24th annual Festival. Consider coming to visit, whether you've registered or not--the weather is too nice not to be outside!

Festival Registration is CLOSED...

2011-11-11T06:02:00.000-07:00

...but if you haven't registered, COME ON DOWN! There may be tickets available at the door for many of the events, especially the ones happening in town. We will also sell tickets for the Walk In to Fly In and Walk Out to Fly Out for any available seats on the bus. Tickets are $5--just show up at the appointed time.

The Refuge Tour Loop is open to everyone ($5/car/day) whether you are registered for the Festival or not. The birds are here, with more arriving each day. Friday, Saturday and Sunday (Nov. 18-20) the Art Show Tent and exhibits will be open near the Visitor Center, admission is free. If you have questions, stop by the Friends tent next to the Visitor Center Wednesday through Sunday or ask inside the Visitor Center Saturday Nov. 12 through Tuesday, Nov. 15.

The Visitor Center is closed today (November 11) in honor of our Veterans. It reopens Saturday at 7:30am.

See you there!

Final registration--buy tickets at the door for things not full!

2011-11-11T06:00:00.001-07:00

Activity	Registered	Limit
Digital Photography	full	full
Sandhill Crane Behavior \ TU-scb	full	full
Deadly Beauty Behavior \ TU-dbb	full	full
Land Sea Air \ TU-lsa	full	full
Horseback:Novice \ TU-han	full	full
Photography Reception \ TU-pcr	32	500

Rocket Nets \ WE-rnbb	full	full
Sandhill Crane Behavior \ WE-scb	full	full
Deadly Beauty Photography \ WE-dbp	full	full
Land Sea Air \ WE-lsa	full	full
Raptor ID Tour \ WE-rit	full	full
Sevilleta's Eastside Story \ WE-ses	full	full
Backyard Bird Feeding \ WE-bbf	20	50
Horseback:Experienced \ WE-hae	8	10
Raptor ID \ WE-rid	full	full
Duck Ecology \ WE-de	36	50
Birds of the Bosque \ WE-bob	full	full
Northern Aplomado Falcon \ WE-naf	32	50
Dinner Theater \ WE-dt	47	60

Walk Out to Fly Out \ TH-wofo	77	80
Bosque Birding Intensive \ TH-bbi	full	full
Sandhill Crane Behavior \ T TH-scb	full	full
Land Sea Air \ TH-lsa	full	full
Birding Sevilleta \ TH-bs	full	full
Refuge Birding Tour \ TH-rbt	full	full
All About Raptors \ TH-aar	full	full
Hike: Mines \ TH-hmm	full	full
Horned Lizards \ TH-hlnm	35	50
Our Lives as Volunteers \ TH-olpv	7	50
Horseback:Novice \ TH-han	full	full
The Refuge \ TH-r	full	full
Whoopers! \ TH-w	39	50
Prairie Dogs? \ TH-wwtpd	33	50
Nature Journaling: Painting \ TH-nj	18	20
VLA Tour \ TH-vla	21	35
Night Shift \ TH-ns	42	100
The Rio Grande \ TH-rg	71	400
Walk In to Fly In \ TH-wifi	79	80
Friends Annual Dinner \ TH-fad	80	100
Keynote: T. Perry; Big Cats \ TH-ktp	183	500

Walk Out to Fly Out \ FR-wofo	full	full
Bosque Birding Intensive \ FR-bbi	full	full
Sandhill Crane Behavior \ FR-scb	full	full
Songbirds \ FR-srgv	32	50
Snow Goose Ecology \ FR-sge	20	50
Quebradas Road Tour \ FR-qrt	full	full
Sevilleta Geology Tour \ FR-sgt	full	full
Refuge Birding Tour \ FR-rbt	36	40
All About Raptors \ FR-aar	full	full
Where the Buffalo Roam \FR-wbr	full	full
Refuge Tour \ FR-rt	full	full
Hike: Chupadera Peak \ FR-hcp	13	15
Managing Fire \ FR-mf	12	20
Loggerhead Strikes \ FR-ls	33	50
Birds of the Bosque \ FR-bob	35	50
Refuge Update \ FR-ru	10	40
Dragonflies \ FR-dad	full	full
Sharing Habitat \ FR-shw	13	50
Hike: Water in the Desert \ FR-hwid	full	full
VLA Tour \ FR-vla	22	35
San Miquel Mission Tour \ FR-smmt	17	25
Smith Museum Tour \FR-sm2	6	8
Hike: Rio Viejo \ FR-hrv	full	full
Hands-On NM Cooking \ FR-hnmc	full	full
Iris Pascal Tour \ FR-ip	full	full
Smith Museum Tour \ FR-sm3	7	8
To Bird or Not to Bird \ FR-tbntb	7	15
Life and Times of Raptors \ FR-lat	46	50
Owls of New Mexico \ FR-onm	full	full
Smith Museum Tour \ FR-sm4	7	8
Walk In to Fly In \ FR-wifi	full	full
Mineral Museum \ FR-mm	35	40
Star Party \ FR-sp	96	200
John Jorgenson Quintet Adult \ FR-jjq*	45	400

Walk Out to Fly Out \ SA-wofo	full	full
To Bird Walkabout \ SA-tbnbw	12	15
Mountain Birding \ SA-mb	full	full
All About Cranes \ SA-aac	full	full
Rattlesnake Research \ SA-rrb	23	50
Refuge Tour \SA-rt9	39	40
Geocaching \ SA-g	full	full
Bosque Raptor Tour \ SA-brt	full	full
Hike: Sierra de la Cruz \ SA-hsdlc	full	full
Making NM Desserts! \ SA-mnmd	full	full
Hike: Water in the Desert \ SA-hwid	full	full
Wilderness Act \ SA-wa	9	25
Roadrunner Project \ SA-rrp	48	50
Mating for Life \ SA-mfl	16	50
Hike: Indian Wells \ SA-hiww	full	full
Big Year Chronicles \ SA-byc	23	50
Sandia Rosy-Finch Project \ SA-srfp	28	50
Hike: Canyon Trail \ SA-hct	full	full
Refuge Tour \ SA-rt2	29	40
A Big Year: How? Why?\ SA-byhw	45	50
Walk In to Fly In \ SA-wifi	full	full
Keynote: The Big Year \ SA-kby	144	400

Walk Out to Fly Out \ SU-wofo	42	80
Mountain Birding \ SU-mb	23	30
Refuge Tour \ SU-rt9	12	40
Window in Time \ SU-wit	22	25
Junior Naturalist Tour \ SU-jnt	6	22
Bosque Raptor Tour \ SU-brt	full	full
Hike: El Camino Real \ SU-hecr	12	15
Orienteering \ SU-o	13	20
Hike: Mesa Trail \ SU-hmt	6	15
Refuge Tour \ SU-rt2	19	40

This is what you've been waiting for!

2011-10-08T16:22:00.004-06:00

Festival of the Cranes T-Shirts, Sweatshirts, collector mug and collector pin are now available for sale in our Bosque Nature Store where you can pay securely with your credit card through PayPal!

Sales from our store support the Friends many great projects- FriendsoftheBosque.org

Festival Lodging Options

2011-09-20T08:48:00.000-06:00

Will you be traveling to the the Bosque for the Festival of the Cranes this year? Will you be staying overnight in Socorro?? Make sure to use the Lodging link on the Friends of the Bosque website to make your reservations.
Lodging options
If you use the highlighted links on that page a nice percentage of each reservation will go to the Bosque. We got the links up pretty late last year and it still added up to a nice donation for us, and we are excited to be ahead of the curve this year!!!
Don't forget that you can use the the links and logos on that page ANY time you travel and a percentage will go to the Bosque. You can still get your "points", the rates are exactly the same but a percentage will go to the Bosque!!
Everyone wins!!

Wow! What a response!

2011-09-01T18:04:00.003-06:00

Over 140 people registered today--the largest number ever for a first day! And, best of all, most of them did it online. Thank you to all those who persisted and helped us work through the kinks. We've learned some of the shortcomings: if you're registering more than just yourself, you'll need to pay with a check, but--not to worry!--your spot is reserved. And speaking of spots, the hike to the mines in the Magdalena mountains and Birding Sevilleta are both already full!

Keep up the good work!

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ONLINE REGISTRATION

2011-08-24T19:41:00.004-06:00

Thank you for using our new online registration! When you click the button to enter the registration site you will be asked your name and your email address. If you are a member of the Friends of the Bosque, all of your contact information will automatically be filled in. If not, well, you'll just have to do a little typing to fill in the blanks. It may also give you the option of becoming a Friends member or extending your membership. Follow the online directions.

When the contact information is filled in, you will go to events registration. Just click the box to sign up for an activity. The software will keep track of the fees. There is an automatic $3.50 charge to cover the costs of the software, the brochures and mailing.

If you want to purchase raffle tickets for the spotting scope at $1 each, put in the number you want in the first activity line. Proceeds go to the Emerson Learn bus scholarship. The drawing is Sunday afternoon, need not be present to win!

If you are registering more than just yourself, click on "Add Guest". You'll see your own registration--SCROLL DOWN to add a next person (and a next, and a next....). When you are finished registering yourself and all your friends, you will be taken to the questionnaire. There you can let us know your food choice if you signed up for the annual dinner as well as help us with statistics for our funding.

Last, but certainly not least, choose your method of payment: either check or with a credit card through PayPal (you don't need a PayPal account and we take Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover). Whew! A confirmation of your schedule(s) and a receipt will be sent to your email. Within the next week or so you should receive a snailmail confirmation, schedules, and nametags.

If you need to go back and make changes down the road, you can get in by using the same email address you used this first time. You can make changes to your registration, but we will have to send you a refund check instead of refunding through PayPal. If you have questions, call us at 575-835-2077. We'll be there to answer Monday (including Labor Day) through Thursday 9 to noon and responding to messages as we get them.

Thanks--this is a grand experiment for all of us!

Breaking News

2011-08-23T11:11:00.005-06:00

The Festival of the Cranes will be using this blog exclusively from August 25 to Sept 15 to post any changes, cancellations or additions in the schedule of events for the 2011 Festival of the Cranes; and after that date, our Festival website, FestivaloftheCranes.com, and this blog will both bring you any Breaking News!

Thanks! This year will be another great Festival!

Please plan to come!

Registration for 2011 Festival of the Cranes starts September 1, 2011

2011-08-16T14:12:00.003-06:00

2011 Registration for Festival of the Cranes does not start until September 1, 2011,

This year the procedure is different and you have an excellent online choice

which we encourage you to use.

You can, however, register by fax, mail or phone.

We look forward to seeing you this year!!

24th ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF THE CRANES 2011
Nov 15-20, 2011
Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge

Festival Photo Contest deadline

2011-08-16T14:08:00.001-06:00

Festival of the Cranes Photo Contest

(please see FestivaloftheCranes.com for all rules and regs and info!)

Submissions must be received by October 21, 2011, 5:00 PM MDT.

Fidel Center, New Mexico Tech Socorro

2011-08-16T14:05:00.002-06:00

Important Note:2011- Macey Center at New Mexico Tech is under construction, so lectures have been moved to the Fidel Center though parking will still be at the Macey Center. See the Socorro Map on the Maps Page of the Festival web site for the location of the Fidel Center and for parking at Macey Center. Please Allow a little extra time to walk to the Fidel Center.

The Macey Center auditorium WILL BE OPEN.

2011 Schedule is up online!

2011-08-16T14:03:00.001-06:00

The NEW 2011 Festival Events Schedule

Is now available, including pre-Festival!

FestivaloftheCranes.com

(2011 Registration for Festival of the Cranes starts September 1, 2011)

Two Keynote Speakers

2011-07-14T17:04:00.006-06:00

News! Festival of the Cranes 2011

Two Keynote Speakers for 2011!

DR. TRAVIS PERRY, Mountain Lion Researcher

BIG CATS AT THE BOSQUE

8:00 pm to 9:30 pm Thursday $5 Macey Center Auditorium, Socorro

MARK OBMASCIK

The Big Year: From book to the big screen

8:00 PM to 9:30 PM Saturday - $5 Macey Center Auditorium, Socorro

Performing Arts Series is bringing the John Jorgenson Quintet to the Festival—gypsy swing

End of Festival 2010

2010-11-23T17:01:00.006-07:00

Full Moon Rising 2010...farm loop, BdA NWR

2010-11-23T16:47:00.004-07:00

Leigh Ann Vradenburg, Executive director Friends of the Bosque del Apache NWR, and John Vradenburg, head biologist are pictured below standing outside the Art Show Tent during the final day of the Festival.

This was a hugely successful Festival - participants and exhibitors were happy, and many visitors to the Refuge were very pleased with the condition of the Refuge- it was perfect! So many were excited by the numbers of wintering birds and great visibility and viewing. People were lined up taking photos at various locations on the refuge, and cranes and geese were close, much to the thrill of the visitors!

We would all like to thank the many tireless and generous volunteers. The Festival absolutely could not have happened without your help! More than 50 volunteers staffed the hospitality tent and the information table at Macey Center in Socorro. More than 30 other volunteers drove vans, fixed meals and worked their hearts out to make this an enjoyable and successful event.

Everyone involved loves and is dedicated to the Refuge, and strives to have visitors feel the same connection to the birds and wildlife and the beautiful and critical habitat!

We are all in this together!

Thanks everyone for a fantastic Festival 2010!

Again, Thank you to our Festival attendees, our wonderful Festival volunteers, our many participants, the great refuge staff, the fine City of Socorro, Friends of the Bosque and everyone who helped and supported us during the popular 23rd Festival of the Cranes 2010!

We could never do this without your help!

Hawks Aloft Inc. Elizabeth and Chuck (and friend)

2010-11-20T16:39:00.002-07:00

HawksAloft.org

Conservation, Avian Research and Education

Albuquerque, NM

a few rare birds seen festival of the cranes

2010-11-20T16:11:00.002-07:00

White-tailed kite seen (some say 2) seen near flight deck (today and yesterday)

mountain lion in "face-off" with coyotes (3 reports of this)

bobcat seen several times

surf scoter seen along marsh loop Nov 15, seen by leader of Audubon group from New Jersey

Lorraine McInnes Intrepid Rattlesnake Researcher Bosque del Apache

2010-11-20T16:05:00.003-07:00

Using radio telemetry to track diamondback rattlesnake movement on the Refuge (she is currently tracking 17 snakes in their annual cycle)

Services and Donations for Bob Merkel

2010-11-20T16:01:00.003-07:00

Services for Bob Merkel, our beloved volunteer will be Tuesday in Socorro,

and the family wishes that donations be made to Friends of the Bosque NWR and Sevilleta NWR in lieu of flowers. With Thanks.

We will miss Bob, and are so grateful for his years of dedication,

and we send love to his family

Sevilleta Natiional Wildlife Refuge Jim and Pat Niner, Volunteers

2010-11-20T15:56:00.002-07:00

Jim and Pat have over 4,000 volunteer hours with our

NM sister Refuge, Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge

Wildlife Rescue New Mexico Inc

2010-11-20T15:51:00.001-07:00

Patty Elliott

and rescue owl

Wildlife Exhibitor at the Festival of the Cranes 2010

Sunrise Nov 20

2010-11-20T15:45:00.003-07:00

Santa fe Raptor Center ambassador

2010-11-20T15:40:00.003-07:00

The Center's main focus is the rescue, rehabilitation and release of injured raptors.

www.thesantaferaptorcenter.org

Santa Fe Raptor Center Laura Swartz

2010-11-20T15:34:00.003-07:00

Festival Wildlife Exhibitor

Santa Fe Raptor Center Laura Swartz and Great Horned Owl, who, because of shotgun injuries (shocking and sad) is non-releasable. and has joined our group of educational raptors.

2010-11-19T15:35:00.005-07:00

Jerry Goffe, vice President of the Friends of the Bosque and photography expert says his long lens pre-Festival class was a success with 23 people. Jerry is so personable and knowledgeable! We heard from many happy participants. Again next year, Jerry?

www.naturephotoworks.com

2010-11-19T15:33:00.001-07:00

pink light sandhill cranes

2010-11-19T15:27:00.003-07:00

more Art Show participants - a great variety!

2010-11-19T14:41:00.001-07:00

Bronze sculpture by Jammey Huggins

www.jammey.com

official f&w bird count nov 19, 2010

2010-11-19T13:54:00.002-07:00

ok..changed from 7000 sandhills to 4777 seems like a lot more though.. 26,500 snow geese,,, 66,738 ducks, 259 canada geese, 3 eagles, 28 hawks & owls. Refuge looks beautiful...a bountiful winter home for our migrating sandhills, geese, ducks and more

Art show textiles and more

2010-11-19T13:22:00.001-07:00

Judith Roderick nature painter judith roderick.com

silk scarves shown here

More and more from the Art Show and Fish and Wildlife

2010-11-19T10:24:00.003-07:00

Skeeter Leard, Artist, skeeterart.com

showing at the Festival of the Cranes Art Show

Daniel Perry, Outdoor Recreation Planner

Bosque del Apache NWR

Open house begins today at 1:00

RioGrandeCacti.com

Identifying collars for geese - Migration

2010-11-19T10:19:00.002-07:00

From John Vradenburg's presentation on snow goose ecology-

Geese we will see at Bosque

Collar colors- origin

Lesser snow goose

RED Warngel Island Russia and la Perouse Bay, Churchill, Manitoba (Hudson Bay)

BLUE Alaska

BLACK Western Canadian Artic (Bank's Island)

YELLOW Central Canadian Arctic (Queen Maude Gulf)

GREEN Eastern Canadian Arctic (Hudson Bay)

Ross's Goose

BLUE (Queen Maude Gulf)

PALE (Quebec Blue- Central Canadian Arctic

YELLOW Eastern Canadian Arctic

some of the 24,000 ducks (a few days later, there were 64,000!!)

2010-11-19T10:01:00.003-07:00

2010-11-19T09:59:00.000-07:00

North Farm loop yesterday

thousands of snow geese!

Festival is in full swing.. 7,000 sandhills, puffs of snow geese and great workshops

2010-11-19T09:42:00.002-07:00

Joel Sartore, photographer for National Geographic and other publications, gave a strong and entertaining keynote His powerful presentation showed all of us- again- how much the natural world matters, how much birds and wildlife matter. His current book, RARE is a gripping portrayal of what we are losing, and his dedication to helping to stop this loss and other losses is appreciated and invaluable. Thank you, Joel.

a friend lost ... a sad day

2010-11-19T09:39:00.002-07:00

Bob Merkel, a wonderful man and a great supporter of the Friends, our newsletter editor and corresponding secretary who has devoted much of his time volunteering, has died suddenly. We are all saddened.

2010-11-17T19:11:00.003-07:00

sunset pink and blues, thousands of sandhills landed on one of the north ponds elk in background looked a little surprised

2010-11-17T18:42:00.001-07:00

migration patterns changed older population of snow geese now, but a very large population./ android phone limits text ..apologies

2010-11-17T18:39:00.001-07:00

details on snow goose populations are astounding. increased historicaly but gosling survival is down...tundra damage extensive up north..changed migra

2010-11-17T18:31:00.004-07:00

7,ooo cranes new count tomorrow promised by f&w great snow goose ecology workshop by john vradenburg will have photos tomorrow no wifi here

2010-11-17T18:27:00.004-07:00

city of socorro, sponsoring the festival of the cranes along with the refuge and the friends

40 sandhills hundreds of ducks big redtail while crossing rio grande at isleta cottonwoods less color here

2010-11-17T11:53:00.002-07:00

trees in Albuquerque are still yellow gold red ... beautiful fall colors the bosque will be wonderful again this year.

2010-11-17T11:43:00.002-07:00

am heading for festival 12 am from santa fe will report this afternoom

2010-11-17T11:35:00.003-07:00

driving past the sandia mountains

2010-11-16T11:38:00.004-07:00

We've had a report of 2 Mississippi Kites at the Flight Deck.

More Sandhill Cranes are arriving. Snow and cold and fog up north should bring in more cranes a little later this evening.

The Festival is setting up a silent auction here at the Festival with lots of great donated items, the sale of which will support the Emerson Learn Bus Scholarship Endowment Fund. The permanent fund was started in Emerson's memory by the Friends of the Bosque in coordination with the family of G. Emerson Learn III. It provides stipends for New Mexico schools to visit the Refuge.

Encouraging education about the value and beauty of the natural world - birds and wildlife and the habitat which they rely on for survival- is a key goal of the Friends.

Long Lenses Photography- pre Festival workshop with the fun and helpful and talented Jerry Goffe- we will interview him in a few days...

2010-11-15T14:50:00.003-07:00

YouTube video

We will have much better videos during the Festival, but we know you will you enjoy the sounds of the cranes and geese and portions of the sunset scene.

Sandhill Cranes, Light Geese - Sunset at the Bosque del Apache NWR

See it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8H90YoIXAdw

2010-11-15T12:23:00.004-07:00

Festival Coordinatior Robyn Harrison (left) and Friends of the Bosque Executive Director Leigh Ann Vradenburg dressed in the fun t-shirts for this years' Festival, featuring the Festival Art and sandhill crane tracks down one arm.

(If you buy anything in the Bosque Nature Store - or the online Bosque Nature Store, the money supports the Friends' great projects in support of our spectacular Refuge.)

2010-11-15T12:12:00.003-07:00

OK- first off- the bird count-

There are more birds than reported officially since the count was a while back (the Friends' web site has the official report which is a combination of Nov 5 and Nov 10; and F&W "didn't get a good count.")

Light Geese 19,850

Sandhill Cranes 2,491 (more as of today, Nov 15)

Canada Geese 325

Ducks over 23,000

With good internet access at the Refuge, we'll have a blog you will love (we hope!!)

It won't start the first day because the main blogger is traveling down to the Bosque on Wednesday and getting set up, so the first report will be that afternoon and might be an interview with John Vradenburg about snow geese and his workshop.

This will be the beginning of interviews from the presenters and speakers and updates on the whole Festival from a variety of people..

We'll include photos from the Festival- of people, birds, art and more.

(and some surprises!)

Complete Schedule of Events Online

2010-08-06T15:26:00.006-06:00

Six Great Days !

Workshops, tours, lectures, hikes and special activities

Art Show!

Paintings, photography, jewelry, crafts, clothing and gifts!

Wildlife Exhibitions!

Snakes, wolves, raptors and binoculars!

Registration is closed (as of Nov 11, 2010)

but you may buy a ticket for any open events at the door.

Check the schedule- there is so much to see and do!

Art Show and Wildlife Exhibitions

FestivaloftheCranes.com

2010 Keynote Speaker Joel Sartore

2010-08-06T15:16:00.003-06:00

Joel Sartore

Festival of the Cranes 2010 Keynote Speaker
Thursday night 8pm, November 18, 2010

For more than 20 years, Joel has contributed to such magazines as Time, Life, Newsweek, Audubon, Sports Illustrated and hundreds of books. National Geographic has sent him to exotic destinations to photograph wildlife. Grizzly bears have chased him up trees, parasites have devoured his flesh, musk ox have charged him. And yet, not only has he lived to talk about it, he does so with humor and a desire to educate others about the dire state of our environment. He'll speak Thursday night, November 18, 2010, at 8:00 pm at the Macey Center. He also will talk about the business of photography and its future earlier on Thursday.

Workshops, special tours, lectures, events... Festival of the Cranes 2010!

2010-02-16T13:38:00.005-07:00

We are excited, and are working on the schedule of workshops, special tours, lectures and more for our Festival, and will have these posted on the Festival of the Cranes web site at FestivaloftheCranes.com as soon as possible. As usual, registration will not begin until closer to the Festival dates, and the beginning of registration will be announced on the Festival site (and here) Due to the great popularity and uniqueness of the events, you will need to register as soon as possible. Many events are free, and many others have a low, nominal fee (often just $5 or $10)

Festival of the Cranes! Nov 16-21 Art and More!

2010-02-16T13:30:00.006-07:00

The Art for the Festival of the Cranes from Nov 16-21, 2010 is pictured at left. This image of a pair of Sandhill Cranes as they walk toward the last light of sunset will be featured on the Festival T-shirts, mugs, lapel pins, and more... All sales from the Bosque Nature Store (online at Friends of the Bosque and at the Nature Store at the Refuge 575-835-1828) all help to fund the Friends of the Bosque's wonderful educational and other valuable programs - all which support the Refuge. Please visit the Friends web site and to see some of these projects, and please consider membership. We love to have new Friends!

NEWS! Festival of the Cranes

2010-01-23T18:02:00.003-07:00

2010 Festival of the Cranes Dates announced!

Nov 16-21, 2010

Put it on your calendar- more great tours, workshops, lectures and fun!

www.FestivaloftheCranes.com

2008-11-21T17:27:00.004-07:00

SUNGREBE Status - 11/21/08

Hi all. We've now spent 3 full days waiting for the Sungrebe to return to the public areas it was seen a week ago Thursday and last Tuesday. NO such luck. The bird may have moved, passed on, or simply be hanging out in the closed area, though refuge personnel have been looking for it with no success. Doesn't mean it's not there, could be very difficult to spot. Anyhow we'll keep our eyes open and report daily on any activity (calls will go out much sooner if anything positive develops).

This female Sungrebe was photographed on 11/18 at Audio Stop 8 on the Marsh Loop. It It was seen and photographed earlier (11/13) about a mile downstream of this location, but on the same ditch.

Sungrebe belongs to a family with only three species worldwide. Called finfoots, they are actually more closely related to the rails than to grebes. The Sungrebe is often called the American Finfoot. The species ranges from northern South America through Central America and up the east coast of Mexico to almost central Tamaulipas, not far (150-200 miles) south of Brownsville, TX. There are anecdotal reports of sightings as close as 100 miles south of Brownsville. There are no previous modern records of Sungrebe in the United States. Some of the old time (early to mid 1800's) ornithologists mention Sungrebes, but evidently this does no constitute a valid record without more details and prefereably a specimen.

2008 Festival Art on T-shirts, mugs, pins, totes...

2008-11-21T12:54:00.000-07:00

Below is a picture of the Festival Art 2008. This image is featured on the Festival T-shirts, mugs, pins, tote bags...
Sales from the Bosque Nature Store (online at Friends of the Bosque and at the Nature Store at the Refuge 575-835-1828) all help to fund the Friends of the Bosque's wonderful educational and other valuable programs - all which support the Refuge!

Friday at the Festival of the Cranes

2008-11-21T12:26:00.001-07:00

Today ( this is just a sampling of the dozens of tours and workshops!) we are looking forward to Black Belt Birding workshop/tour, Sandhill Crane Behavior, Birds of New Mexico -
Since New Mexico's wildlife habitats range from semi-arid desert to coniferous forests, it is no wonder that the bird life here is diverse. Mary Alice Root, past president of the New Mexico Ornithological Society, will give a slide presentation on birding in New Mexico, and later on she will also conduct "A Birder's Guide to the Evolution of Birds." She will explain how we know that birds shared the skies with the pterosaurs and the shallow seas and shorelines with the dinosaurs, and will discuss the over 200 million year evolution of birds. Fascinating!
There are so many offerings here at the Festival! A new one for me is a lecture "Principles of Stalking Bird Photography" by veteran birder John Shipman who enjoys the type of bird photography that emphasizes portability, going on foot almost anywhere a birdwatcher with binoculars would go - it's bird photography without tripods!
All About Raptors with Dr. Kathleen Ramsay is a comprehensive course on the identification of birds of prey, combining live demonstration birds, photographs and field observation to help us learn to recognize the plumage variations in red-tailed hawks to telling the age of an immature bald eagle. Dr. Kathleen Ramsay started the Wildlife Center in Espanola, NM, over 20 years ago and provides veterinary care for hundreds of raptors every year. She is also one of the primary field veterinarians for the New Mexico Game and Fish Department.
oh yes and the Sevilleta Geology Tour! We will see areas of Sevilleta not open to the public. This is one of the rare opportunities the Festival provides along with
More news later, and we sure hope Jerry will add photos of the SUNGREBE!

2008-11-21T12:15:00.001-07:00

Thank You All Volunteers! & The National Volunteer of the Year

2008-11-21T11:16:00.003-07:00

The Friends Annual dinner was held last night and John Bertrand was honored as the 2008 National Volunteer of the Year for the National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA) and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF)!
This is a Tremendous National Honor!
This is in recognition of many years of volunteering and many thousands of hours. Details of his help and contributions are on the Friends' web site by clicking here: Volunteer of the Year
Thank you John, and Thank you ALL volunteers! With your help, the Refuge will thrive!

2008-11-20T14:41:00.000-07:00

Weekly Waterfowl Survey
Bosque del Apache Numbers as of 20-Nov-08
Ducks ... 23000
Canada Geese ..... 360
Light Geese ..... 37400
Sandhill Cranes .....4750
Bald and Golden Eagles ..... 2
Swans ..... 0
American White Pelicans ..... 0
American Coot ..... 570
Marsh and Water Birds ..... 16
Shorebirds ..... 4
Gulls and Terns ..... 3
Hawks and Owls ..... 14

Rare Birds Noted at Refuge
Sungrebe - A Central & South American species.Photographed on Nov 13th & 18th. Not seen on Nov 19th.

Rare Bird?

2008-11-20T10:07:00.000-07:00

Rare bird seen at the Refuge-The NM rare Bird Alert report reads something like this:
JK on November 14 took a photo of an unknown bird at
Bosque del Apache Refuge which was identified by SF on
November 17 as a SUNGREBE. It is not known from whence
it came, but JO and around 30 others saw it on the east
side of the Farm Loop between Audio Stops 7 to 9 on
November 18. MB and JSt report that it was not seen on
November 19, but hopefully it has retreated into the
restricted area where no one may follow and will reappear.
For notes on the Sungrebe, please see:
http://sites.google.com/site/oldenettelspage/Home/sungrebe---notes
Oldenettel's Page

First Day of Festival

2008-11-19T09:42:00.000-07:00

The workshops today were exciting, and one of the most popular ones is Sandhill Crane Behavior. This year the workshop is led byPaul Tebbel and Keanna Leonard. There were 17 registered for the class, and we learned common vocalizations, body language and other characteristics of sandhill cranes. We learned how to recognize juveniles, tell subspecies apart, distinguish between dancing and aggression and many other details. For me, Sandhill Cranes are one of the most fascinating birds with their roots going back to the Eocene, some 40 million years ago. Seeing them at their winter home at the Refuge and learning about them is exciting! At first light we listened to the cranes on their roosting spots, identifying vocalizations and other behaviors. We then went to the classroom for breakfast and viewed many behaviors on film before traveling to different locations on the Refuge to watch and interpret crane interactions. It was a great morning!

Festival goers are always excited about and quickly fill the workshop Digital Photography with Long Lenses conducted by Jerry Goffe and co-instructors It is a fabulous 3-day experience on wildlife and nature photography- sunrise and sunset photographing sandhill cranes, geese, other animals and landscapes of the Refuge. Jerry is a great and knowledgeable guy and his co-instructors are so helpful and are professional photographers as well.

Deadly Beauty Behavior, a fascinating class with Matt Mitchell and his trained hawks and falcon takes you out on in the open country on the other side of the Rio Grande and gives you a wonderful opportunity to learn and see a variety of behaviors and also to photograph these birds in action. I took this class a few years ago and found it quite exciting. I'll look for one of the photographs (of his Harris Hawk) and post it when I get a chance.

I took the Land, Sea and Air trip in 2006 with Steve Green at Elephant Butte Lake, and it was a fun experience filled with grebes. I haven't heard this year how the birding was, but the weather is fantastic, and sea birds, diving ducks, cormorants, grebes, white pelicans and more should be around, and the the dramatic geological setting at the lake is worth seeing.

The Festival is about to begin!

2008-11-16T11:42:00.001-07:00

The Festival is about to begin, and everything is looking great- Many volunteers (Friends of the Bosque!) are working so hard to make this Festival a success, and they are doing this because they love the Refuge and the birds and wildlife who rely on it for their survival. Volunteers are ready to help you at the Refuge decks, and have been busy printing banners, handouts & signs; getting the Friends' tent ready; helping with the Art Tent and the Exhibitor Tent; and working in the Bosque Nature Store so the non-profit Friends can support the Refuge and continue their wonderful educational programs!

The Refuge sure has a great bunch of Friends! Do join Us and become a Friend, too (if you haven't already!!)

Now ..... on to the latest bird count which was done on Nov 13, 2008

Ducks 23,840 - Canada Geese 114 - Light Geese 20,300 - Sandhill Cranes - 4100 - Bald & Golden Eagles 1 -American Coot 295 - Marsh & Water Birds- 14 - Hawks & Owls 15

Cranes and other birds are still arriving, and increasing throughout the whole Middle Rio Grande area.

(All photos on this blog are under copyright. The photographers gave us permission to use them, but they may not be used by anyone else for any purpose in any medium. Thanks for your understanding!)

2008-11-11T09:43:00.000-07:00

We are about a week away from the start of the 21st Annual Festival of the Cranes, and, as always, the Refuge is looking beautiful, and there is a lot to see and do! As of November 7, the weekly Waterfowl Survey count is: 18,367 Ducks, 222 Canada Geese, 14,100 Light Geese, 4108 Sandhill Cranes, 2 Bald & Golden Eagles, 300 American Coot, 24 Marsh & Water Birds and 19 Hawks & Owls. More are arriving daily.

The count is updated weekly throughout the winter and can be found at the Friends web site at FriendsoftheBosque.org.

We look forward to seeing you at the Festival of the Cranes

2008-10-31T14:24:00.001-06:00

2008-10-31T13:16:00.000-06:00

Oct 31, 2008:

We many thousands of sandhill cranes on their way to the Bosque del Apache NWR with a thousand here already (along with over 15,000 light geese and 24,000 ducks) You can check the official bird under What's New on the Friends of the Bosque web site at http://www.FriendsoftheBosque.org

The count online is updated weekly during the winter.

The Festival of the Cranes is only a few weeks away, and everyone at the Refuge and many in the city of Socorro, New Mexico and San Antonio, NM and The Friends of the Bosque are preparing for your arrival.

Many of the lectures, workshops and tours look very enticing, and the Festival Coordinator, Robin Harrison, is doing a great job, mentored by Tom Harper who devoted many successful years to organizing the Festival.

Festival T-Shirts, mugs, tote bags, pins and more are now available on the Online Bosque Nature Store shop, so you can actually arrive in your T-Shirt!

2008-09-18T13:20:00.000-06:00

Sandhill Cranes have begun arriving at Monte Vista/Alamosa NWR! The first hundred or so were seen arriving September 6 by several avid birdwatchers at the Monte Vista portion of the Refuge. They will be joined by tens of thousands more sandhill cranes on the great migration, and will remain in the San Luis Valley for around a month and a half to two months before heading to the The Bosque del Apache in New Mexico. The Festival of the Cranes is the beloved Festival which welcomes the thousands of cranes to their traditional winter home at the Bosque.

Welcome!

2008-07-06T11:18:00.000-06:00

The 21st Annual Festival of the Cranes at the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge is shaping up to be a great Festival.

We look forward to seeing you there!