Bosque del Apache, New Mexico

I have just returned from five days of photography at the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in early December, 2002. Located 95 miles south of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Bosque is one of the most scenic refuges in North America, and is the winter home for tens of thousands of birds -- including the omnipresent and ever-vocal snow geese and sandhill cranes. It's my favorite location for making spectacular wildlife scenics of thousands of geese and cranes lifting off at sunrise and returning at sunset to favored roosting sites.

This was also my first major bird photography excursion with Canon gear. I made the switch from Nikon to Canon in June 2002, to benefit from the advantages of Image Stabilized telephoto lenses. Although I did photograph some birds and mammals with IS lenses on my trips to the Canadian Rockies and Southeast Alaska earlier this year, Bosque's concentrated bird activity--under a variety of lighting conditions-- presented a great challenge for the autofocus and IS systems. More thoughts on this, later.

Sunrise At Bosque

EOS-1V
100-400mm IS

Click on images to enlarge

The dilemma facing first-time visitors to Bosque is what lens to use at sunrise -- wide angle for spectacular scenics, or telephoto for dramatic silhouettes of birds in flight against colorful sky. It's a tough choice. My suggestion is to first concentrate on wide-angle scenics, then change to longer lenses later in your visit. Some photographers set up two tripods, with wide and long lenses, to cover all bases.

Lift Off At Sunrise

EOS-1V HS
28-70mm f/2.8

The nearest town with full facilities is Socorro, NM, which is 20 miles north of the Refuge. From there it's a 20-minute drive to the entrance of Bosque. In early December sunrise is around 7 AM. However, the most intense sky colors typically occur in the half hour before the sun peaks over the horizon.

Crane Against Stormy Sky

EOS-1V HS
500mm f/4 IS

Sandhill cranes in flight make for exciting action photography. Look for warm front lighting on birds flying against dark storm clouds. Cranes have a distinctive shape which makes for easily recognizable silhouettes at sunrise and sunset.

Crane At Sunset

EOS-1V HS
500mm f/4 IS, 1.4x II TC

During my recent visit we had one rainy day, one clear day, and three partly cloudy days -- which is a typical mix for early December. The presence of some clouds is actually desirable -- sunrise/sunset scenics are more colorful; front-lit cranes and snow geese flying against storm clouds look spectacular; bright overcast provides soft, even lighting for wildlife portraits.

Prothonotary Warbler

EOS-1V HS
500mm f/4 IS, 2x II TC

We were extremely fortunate to see a beautiful male prothonotary warbler -- an eastern bird not often seen in New Mexico. We also did well with mountain bluebirds.

I photographed extensively with the 2x teleconverter and achieved consistently sharp images at 1000mm with Canon's IS system. With my previous Nikon gear I rarely ventured beyond 700mm due to sharpness concerns.

Mountain Bluebird

EOS-1V HS
500mm f/4 IS and
2x II TC

Most of the photography is done around the 15-mile auto tour route. At some locations, such as the Flight Deck (viewing platform) and corn fields, you can set up a tripod on solid ground (or on the platform) to photograph birds at roosting and feeding sites -- birds are used to the presence of people at these locations. At other places around the tour route, photography is best done from inside a vehicle -- with lens on beanbag. Remember to turn off the engine to eliminate sharpness-robbing vibration. There are also a number of hiking trails, but I have not found them to be productive for wildlife photography.

American Wigeon

EOS-1V HS
500mm f/4 IS

The typical male American Wigeon is shown in the photo at left. The wigeon on the right is atypical -- with unspeckeled cheek and neck -- and is called Storm Wigeon by some.

Storm Wigeon

EOS-1V HS
500mm f/4 IS

Young Red-tailed Hawk

EOS-1V HS
100-400mm IS

These two images made me feel good about the sharpness of the 100-400mm IS lens -- both images were made at maximum aperture, hand-held with IS.

I have seen large bucks at Bosque, but they were always elusive and difficult to photograph. On the last morning of my visit, with the car all packed, I made one last drive around the tour route. In light drizzle I encountered a buck with huge antlers and swollen neck. It was in full rut, following five does and ignoring the presence of stopped vehicles. It was the largest mule deer buck I have ever photographed.

Mule Deer Buck

EOS-1V HS
100-400mm IS

Snow Geese Flushing

EOS-1V HS
500mm f/4 IS

Snow geese are a lot of fun to photograph -- from individuals to huge flocks that block out the sky when flushed by coyote or bald eagle. Look for warm light on geese flying against dark clouds or deep blue sky for dramatic images.

Snow Geese, Storm Cloud

EOS-1V HS
500mm f/4 IS
1.4x II TC