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

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!

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 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

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...

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

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!