Posted by Angela McCain on January 8, 2011 at 12:00 PM
I'll be in Bosque on above dates. My husband surprised me with a trip.
1. I've looked at historical bird counts and it still looks good. Anyone think this is too late to go?
2. Is there a chart anywhere that says which location at which time of day?
3. Favorite hotel in Socorro?
4. Anyone else be there?
Posted by Sally King on January 8, 2011 at 7:39 PM
Probably not too late to go in early February (every year is a bit different). Around here everyone says anything before Valentine's Day is good for the Bosque. After that the snow geese and cranes tend to slowly begin heading north. I don't know of any chart that shows what locations, what time of day. Most people go to either the Flight Deck (you will find this on the refuge map) or the ponds on the highway into the refuge for sunrise. Some do both on one day but that seems hard to me. You're there more than one day so maybe you can do each on different days. There are two loops (the cranes often hang out in the cornfields on the top of the farm loop during the day) and the cactus garden behind the visitor center (many interesting birds hang out there) for later in the morning and throughout the day. Then most people return to the flight deck or the ponds for sunset. I don't know the hotels in Socorro. We always do single day trips. I am often down there but not sure about that time in February yet. I am sure you will have a great trip. Bosque has been excellent this year after being not so good last year.
Posted by Brian Gatlin on January 8, 2011 at 8:49 PM
Angela, I think you'll be ok timing-wise, like Sally says.
I'll be there a little before you--heading there in a week!
The crane pools on the way to the refuge are often excellent for flight shots in the morning. I have found the flight deck too crowded for my tastes and usually end up elsewhere. If I have tips for time of day when I get back I'll let you know.
In terms of hotels, we tend to stick to the major mid-price chains.
Posted by Keith Bauer on January 8, 2011 at 9:29 PM
Hi Angela: I agree with Sally and Brian. Your timing should be fine. There will still be plenty of birds there to keep you entertained. Mornings at the crane pools, or if there is "moody" light, the railroad ponds on the east side of the main road in are good places for cranes and geese. The crane pools are on the west side of the road so you'd have the sun at your back for sunrise with the mountains as a background. If you use the railroad ponds, you'll be shooting sunrise type of shots into the sun. The main pond at the flight deck is also a good place for sunrise if the conditions are right. I would not bother being ON the flight deck, just along the road to shoot across the pond into the sun if a good sunrise is in the cards. After sunrise, just head around the loops. North end of the farm loop is usually where the cranes and geese hang out eating. By February, I fear the corn will be cut back far enough from the road that the birds will be a bit too far away, but you just never know. The Marsh loop has some good options. The boardwalk about halfway down may provide some opportunities. Certainly worth a stop to see. Then just continue around the loop and keep your eyes peeled. Best chances for hawks are on the east side of the Marsh loop, or most anywhere on the Farm loop. Sunset: Flight deck pond is pretty tough because of the sun angles. I'd think about the crane pools for cranes coming in about the outline of the mountain. You can get some great silhouettes there.
Hotels in Socorro: The Holiday Inn Express and the Best Western are the two nicest places. I usually opt for the Econolodge. If you stay there ask for one of the "suites" in the back part of the hotel. The rooms are huge with a sitting area, fridge, coffee maker, microwave. Easy enough to get up and make coffee before heading down to the refuge. Hope you have a great time at the Bosque.
Angela - I just got back from Bosque. Stayed at the Holiday Inn in Socorro and it was very nice - would definitely recommend. My number one recommendation, though, especially when you first arrive at Bosque, is to speak to people already there at the refuge. They will have up-to-the-minute info on where the birds are. And everyone I met was exceedingly friendly and willing to share their insights.
As an example: one evening several other photographers and I were shooting cranes at the pools along the approach road to the reserve, because so many flocks were coming and settling in there that evening. Therefore, we knew that that would be an ideal place to be the next morning. I met another photographer who had just arrived, while waiting for a table at a restaurant that night. He asked me how the shooting was, and I told him exactly where to go the next morning. If he hadn't asked, he would most likely have driven right by the pools.
Socorro Springs restaurant is definitely the place to have dinner.
Will you be spending any time in Albuquerque?
Posted by Brian Gatlin on January 19, 2011 at 2:55 PM
Hey Angela,
Just returned yesterday from Bosque. There are definitely still plenty of birds around.
I focused a lot of my attention on the crane pools along the entrance highway. The first two pools are on the west side of the road. They tend to have lots of cranes there in the morning and evening. Then the pool just south of these is on the east side of the road and has huge numbers of geese (I'll call this one the goose pool). The goose pool is rather hard to see, as the railroad berm is between you and the pool, so the goose pool is all about birds in the air. These are all within a mile or so of each other.
The pattern I developed was starting at the goose pool before sunrise, hoping for color in the sky with silhoutted geese against the color (some luck) and for good blastoffs (no luck). Once the sun is up, I switched to the crane pools for crane take-offs in sweet morning light (lots of luck). At the northernmost (smaller) crane pool, it's easy to get very close to the cranes. I was able to compose some portraits on close birds at 700mm, then take off the TC and shoot takeoffs at 500mm. 500 was still a little close and it was a real challenge to keep them in the frame (but when it worked, the payoff was great).
Once most of the cranes were gone, I ventured off to the tour loops and visitor center cactus garden. I didn't have much luck with this, but I think I spent too much time just kind of moving around and not enough time in one place waiting. I think if you spent some time watching the harriers, and got a sense for preferred areas with good sightlines (for you), using the car as a blind you could get some nice harrier shots. That's something I'll try next time. Cactus Garden and feeders had Crissal Thrashers, Pyrrhuloxia and other nice southwestern birds. Large concentrations of geese or cranes on the tour loops were generally pretty rare.
In the evening, I returned to the goose pool, hoping for blastoffs in the evening sun, but they pretty much just loafed, or flew in small groups. Then at sundown I went to the crane pools for landing silhouettes against the sunset.
I stayed at Comfort Inn, but the internet didn't work in the rooms, only the lobby and partway down the hall (maybe if you got a room close to the lobby?). So we switched to Rodeway Inn, which wasn't as nice but was just fine.
Hope this helps. Have fun, and when you get back, let us know what strategies did (and didn't) work for you!
Discussion
7 replies1. I've looked at historical bird counts and it still looks good. Anyone think this is too late to go?
2. Is there a chart anywhere that says which location at which time of day?
3. Favorite hotel in Socorro?
4. Anyone else be there?
I'll be there a little before you--heading there in a week!
The crane pools on the way to the refuge are often excellent for flight shots in the morning. I have found the flight deck too crowded for my tastes and usually end up elsewhere. If I have tips for time of day when I get back I'll let you know.
In terms of hotels, we tend to stick to the major mid-price chains.
Hotels in Socorro: The Holiday Inn Express and the Best Western are the two nicest places. I usually opt for the Econolodge. If you stay there ask for one of the "suites" in the back part of the hotel. The rooms are huge with a sitting area, fridge, coffee maker, microwave. Easy enough to get up and make coffee before heading down to the refuge. Hope you have a great time at the Bosque.
Sandy
As an example: one evening several other photographers and I were shooting cranes at the pools along the approach road to the reserve, because so many flocks were coming and settling in there that evening. Therefore, we knew that that would be an ideal place to be the next morning. I met another photographer who had just arrived, while waiting for a table at a restaurant that night. He asked me how the shooting was, and I told him exactly where to go the next morning. If he hadn't asked, he would most likely have driven right by the pools.
Socorro Springs restaurant is definitely the place to have dinner.
Will you be spending any time in Albuquerque?
Just returned yesterday from Bosque. There are definitely still plenty of birds around.
I focused a lot of my attention on the crane pools along the entrance highway. The first two pools are on the west side of the road. They tend to have lots of cranes there in the morning and evening. Then the pool just south of these is on the east side of the road and has huge numbers of geese (I'll call this one the goose pool). The goose pool is rather hard to see, as the railroad berm is between you and the pool, so the goose pool is all about birds in the air. These are all within a mile or so of each other.
The pattern I developed was starting at the goose pool before sunrise, hoping for color in the sky with silhoutted geese against the color (some luck) and for good blastoffs (no luck). Once the sun is up, I switched to the crane pools for crane take-offs in sweet morning light (lots of luck). At the northernmost (smaller) crane pool, it's easy to get very close to the cranes. I was able to compose some portraits on close birds at 700mm, then take off the TC and shoot takeoffs at 500mm. 500 was still a little close and it was a real challenge to keep them in the frame (but when it worked, the payoff was great).
Once most of the cranes were gone, I ventured off to the tour loops and visitor center cactus garden. I didn't have much luck with this, but I think I spent too much time just kind of moving around and not enough time in one place waiting. I think if you spent some time watching the harriers, and got a sense for preferred areas with good sightlines (for you), using the car as a blind you could get some nice harrier shots. That's something I'll try next time. Cactus Garden and feeders had Crissal Thrashers, Pyrrhuloxia and other nice southwestern birds. Large concentrations of geese or cranes on the tour loops were generally pretty rare.
In the evening, I returned to the goose pool, hoping for blastoffs in the evening sun, but they pretty much just loafed, or flew in small groups. Then at sundown I went to the crane pools for landing silhouettes against the sunset.
I stayed at Comfort Inn, but the internet didn't work in the rooms, only the lobby and partway down the hall (maybe if you got a room close to the lobby?). So we switched to Rodeway Inn, which wasn't as nice but was just fine.
Hope this helps. Have fun, and when you get back, let us know what strategies did (and didn't) work for you!