Trip to Bosque del Apache Nat'l Wildlife Area.

Fall and Winter Headliners

Eighteen thousand Sandhill Cranes and fifty thousand Snow Geese headline the fall and winter pageantry of waterfowl at the Bosque del Apache. The cranes, with wingspans of six to six and one half feet, have flown 1700 miles from their nesting grounds in western Canada. They travelled in well defined "V’s," covering as much as 350 miles per day, reaching top speeds of fifty miles per hour. They arrived at the Bosque del Apache with red Canadian soil still staining their feathers.

Tall, stately birds with ash gray plumage and a reddish orange forehead, the cranes stalk the marshes, searching for frogs, rodents, insects, bulbs, seeds and berries. They parade in nearby corn and wheat fields like the tuxedoed and bejeweled English swells posturing at Britain’s Royal Ascot Festival. The birds feed on hor d’oeuvres such as grains and small mammals. With the coming of evening, they rise on elegant wing and return home for the nightly gathering of their clan.