For The Birds New Mexico Refuge Celebrates Its Annual Festival Of The Cranes

As the sun slowly sinks behind the distant Chupadera Mountains, a rhythmic beat of wings and guttural call echo across the silence of the marsh. A gently swaying line of sandhill cranes is silhouetted against a blaze of orange and crimson. The birds circle and gracefully land creating a network of ripples to radiate across the shallow water.

From Thursday to Nov. 17, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, 20 miles south of Socorro, will celebrate its annual Festival of the Cranes.

This event welcomes the return of sandhill cranes after their 1,000-mile migration from the wetlands of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.

Bosque del Apache was established in 1939 as a refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife, and as a wintering area for the then-endangered sandhill crane.

Now, countless species of birds winter here, including over 14,000 sandhill cranes, 50,000 snow geese and 60,000 ducks, together with many different amphibians, reptiles and mammals.

It is the sandhill cranes and endangered whooping cranes that draw the crowds to the refuge during the festival.

In fact, the crane (worldwide there are 15 species) has fascinated people since earliest times, and it is woven into religion, folklore and mythology in many parts of the world.

In Japan, cranes are symbols of happy marriage, fidelity and longevity. In Vietnam, it is said that they carry the souls of the dead to heaven.

Crow Indians thought little birds migrated on the backs of cranes, and that the chirping of the passengers entertained their hosts during the long flight.

Many Native American tribes copied the cranes’ expressive courtship patterns in their dances.

Cranes are among the largest birds on earth, and are thought to be the oldest living species. Whooping cranes stand about five feet tall and have a wingspan of up to seven feet. They pair for life, and live up to 20 years.

Fifty years ago, only 19 whoopers were left in the wild. In the 1970s, a project was started to increase the flock by placing whooping crane eggs under nesting greater sandhill crane foster parents at Gray’s Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Idaho.

The young whoopers successfully imitated the migration patterns of their foster parents, but failed to learn the correct mating dance and to breed with others of their kind. Today, there are about 250 worldwide, including two or three that it is hoped will winter at Bosque del Apache.

Refuge manager Phil Norton recounts, “A few years ago, a whooping crane male got tired of hanging around for a whooper female and mated with a sandhill crane. We ended up with a young hybrid.” For a while, this bird could be seen among the sandhill cranes.

Early morning and evening are the best times to view the wildlife at Bosque del Apache. Numerous sandhill cranes and snow geese blanket the sky as they commute between the daytime feeding grounds of corn stubble and the night’s roost in the safety of the marshes.

A 15-mile, one-way tour loop (with a two-way cut-off halfway along) allows motorists to enjoy the wildlife of both riparian and desert habitats. With good binoculars and a long telephoto lens, one can observe and take photographs without disturbing birds or other animals. They are used to traffic along the loop, and a car makes an excellent blind. A number of wheelchair-accessible observation platforms overlook the marshes and fields.

Five easy trails with benches and observation points enable hikers to explore differing ecosystems.

Traveling through the refuge, one is constantly surrounded by the calls of birds reverberating back and forth across the open spaces.

An undulating flight pattern announces the presence of a northern harrier. A coyote prowls through the undergrowth. A mule deer disappears into the thicket of cottonwoods and willows alongside the road.

A lone great blue heron stands motionless in the lake. Behind it, across the broad Rio Grande Valley, rise the barren, broken mesas of the Chihuahuan Desert.

A little farther on, a golden eagle soars soundlessly in a deep blue sky, eyes fixed on a field of white dots below. Suddenly, 5,000 snow geese explode into the air honking nervously.

In a field of corn stubble, sandhill cranes spend the day socializing and building energy for the northerly spring migration. If one looks carefully, one might spot a large, white whooping crane among them.

Clouds of red-winged blackbirds swirl here and there among the geese like tiny tornadoes.

It’s no wonder that this nature lovers’ paradise draws more than 18,000 visitors a year to the Festival of the Cranes.

Co-sponsored by Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge and the Socorro County Chamber of Commerce, more than 50 events are scheduled for this year’s festival.

Featured are guided bus tours to areas of the refuge not normally open to the public, workshops led by experts in such topics as nature photography and backyard birding, and arts and crafts exhibits by local artists in Socorro.

Keynote presentations will be by Peter Stangel, director of the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Initiative at the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in Washington D.C.; Kent Clegg, whooping crane biologist; and Dayton Hyde, rancher, photographer, essayist and author of 12 books.

As the outline of the mesa softens in the darkening western sky and the desert stars appear unbelievably close and bright, thousands of sandhill cranes and snow geese settle in the dim water for another night safe from predators. One by one, carloads of visitors leave the refuge to the wildlife.

Map of New Nexico

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: IF YOU GO Getting there: Socorro is 75 miles south of Albuquerque on Interstate 25. From Socorro take I-25 south to the San Antonio exit, go east to state Highway 1 (the caution light), then south eight miles to the refuge. Visiting the refuge: The best place to start your visit to the refuge is at the visitor center. Here you will find current information about what festival events are happening that day at the refuge, up-to-date data on bird sightings and populations, videos, displays and a bookstore. Hours are Thursday and Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Call (505) 835-1828. The 15-mile-long tour loop is open from one hour before sunrise until one hour after sunset daily, including Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. A fee of $3 per passenger vehicle is payable at the entrance. Entry is free if one member of the party has a Golden Age, Golden Eagle or Golden Access pass or a current Federal Duck Stamp. Accommodations: The nearest hotels are in Socorro, and include Econo Lodge, 713 California, Socorro, (505) 835-1500 or 1-800-4CHOICE; and Economy Inn, 400 California, Socorro, (505) 835-4666. Food: Socorro has a good choice of restaurants in all price ranges. Most are located on California Street, the main street through town. Choices include the usual fast-food eateries, as well as El Camino Restaurant, Owl Bar Cafe and Steakhouse, and Val Verde Steakhouse. What to bring: Socorro’s elevation is 4,600 feet. The weather is usually cool and dry in mid-November, with highs between 60 and 70 degrees and lows near freezing. Bring warm clothing for evenings and early mornings. Good binoculars or a spotting scope are necessary for maximum enjoyment of wildlife. A limited number are available for rent at the Visitor Center. Pictures of birds and small animals taken with a point-and-shoot camera or one with a 35mm to 80mm lens, may prove disappointing. A camera with a telephoto lens of 200mm or greater will produce better close-ups of wildlife. For more information: A catalog of Festival of the Cranes events and information about accommodations in Socorro are available from the Socorro County Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 743-F, Socorro, New Mexico 87801; phone (505) 835-0424. You may register in person at the Chamber of Commerce at Socorro, but many festival events have limited space available and fill up quickly.