Over the past few years when I've traveled to New Mexico to visit my Mother, she's taken us to see the Bosque del Apache wildlife refuge near San Antonio, NM. The Bosque is well known as a stopping place for passing Sandhill Cranes. My mother had volunteered for a number of years at the refuge for part of the year, and enjoys bringing family members to see the refuge
most of the refuge is a grid of consecutive wet fields. some fields are around wooded areas, and others
have been kept as grassy areas when not covered with a few inches of water. around the outside of the
wet fields are cornfields. in the fall, a few rows of corn are knocked down so the sandhill cranes can eat
in an open area, with lots of room to see predators approaching. at night, the cranes and geese fly to wet
fields just deep enough to float, allow some aquatic food to grow. predators won't walk through water at
night, so the birds know they are safe there. to minimize the chance of avian diseases, the fields are rotated
so that any disease vectors can be cleared. water is drained off a field until it's clean enough to use again
sandhill cranes in wet field
wet field viewing platform
aqueducts and canals/gates regulate the flow of water from the river through the wildlife refuge
sandhill cranes and snow geese plus ducks at nighttime sleeping zone
most of the refuge is a grid of consecutive wet fields. some fields are around wooded areas, and others
have been kept as grassy areas when not covered with a few inches of water. around the outside of the
wet fields are cornfields. in the fall, a few rows of corn are knocked down so the sandhill cranes can eat
in an open area, with lots of room to see predators approaching. at night, the cranes and geese fly to wet
fields just deep enough to float, allow some aquatic food to grow. predators won't walk through water at
night, so the birds know they are safe there. to minimize the chance of avian diseases, the fields are rotated
so that any disease vectors can be cleared. water is drained off a field until it's clean enough to use again
sandhill cranes in wet field
wet field viewing platform
aqueducts and canals/gates regulate the flow of water from the river through the wildlife refuge
sandhill cranes and snow geese plus ducks at nighttime sleeping zone
all of these New Mexico pictures are from a collection of trips. Some interesting points about the national wildlife refuge or other federal parks is often have volunteer positions available that can be traded for room and board. If you volunteer 20 hrs a week doing only what any person is physically able to do, you get room and board. And if there are rv's in the picture the hookups are included as well. My mother first volunteered at the okeefenokee wildlife refuge
