Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge

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View from the 12 mile tour loop, December 2004
Photo by HelenB

United States, New Mexico

Viewing deck December 2004
Photo by HelenB

Overview

Bosque del Apache NWR is 57,331 acres in size and located on the Rio Grande River, 20 miles south of Socorro in New Mexico. It is famous for the huge numbers of wintering cranes, ducks and geese. These are found in the floodplain part of the refuge, where also the drivable loop tours are found, but that area is surrounded by arid foothills and mesas which is accessible for hiking.

Birds

Notable Species

Thousands of Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese in the winter. Bald Eagles are easy to see at the crane and waterfowl roosts.

Sandhill Cranes and Bald Eagle in the pre-dawn light December 2004
Photo by HelenB

Rarities

In mid-July, 2013 a Rufous-necked Wood-Rail was found - see ABA Rare Bird Alert. A Sungrebe was found there in 2008.

Check-list

Birds you can see here include:

"to do"

• eBird checklist

Other Wildlife

A folder called "watchable wildlife" is available in the refuge as well as on the web. This details both birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and fish found in the area. Among the most commonly seen mammals are Mule Deer, Collared Peccary and Rock Squirrel, and e.g., Striped and Spotted Skunks, Coyote, etc etc are relatively common but more rarely seen. Even Mountain Lion can occasionally be seen in the publicly available areas of the refuge.

Site Information

White-faced Ibis and Black-crowned Night-Heron on one of the ponds, April 2013
Photo by njlarsen

History and Use

The central area contains managed flood plain with seasonally wet ponds, but surrounding that are areas managed with farming which produces winter food for e.g., cranes.

Areas of Interest

• A 12 mile tour loop: open daily, 1 hour before sunrise - 1 hour after sunset. This is a one-way graded gravel road with a 2-way cut-off giving two shorter loops: Farm Loop (7.5 miles) and Marsh Loop (7 miles).
• Annual Festival of the Cranes - 6 days every year in mid-November

Access and Facilities

Looking west towards the Chupadera Mountains with Snow Geese in the fields, December 2004
Click photo to see a larger image
Photo by HelenB

• Entrance fees: $5 per day per passenger vehicle (including all occupants) and motorcycles
• Annual Pass: $15 for 12 months
• Visitor Center: open daily Sep - May, 8am-4pm; June - Aug, only open Thurs - Mon, 8am-4pm (i.e. closed Tues & Wed). Closed for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day, and July 4th
• Restrooms are located near the visitor center and porta-potties are available around the tour loops from November to February
• Viewing decks
• Tour loops
• The Seasonal Tour Road is only open April through September. During the winter this area is reserved as a roost area for the cranes and eagles.
• Pets must be confined or on a leash and are not allowed in the visitor center
• Camping is not allowed, but there is an RV park north of the Refuge

Contact Details

• Mailing Address: P.O. Box 280, San Antonio, NM 87832
• By Phone: Office: (575) 835-1828
• By email: RO/R2/FWS/[email protected]

External Links

• Official USFWS website
• Friends of Bosque del Apache NWR
• Annual Festival of the Cranes
• eBird bar chart of bird observations at Bosque del Apache NWR

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