Day 1: Arrival in Albuquerque

After arrival in New Mexico’s largest city, you will be transferred to a local hotel for the night. An early afternoon arrival is recommended, so that you have some downtime before meeting with the rest of the group for dinner, and the first presentation of the tour. Your Tropical Birding guide will take this time to introduce you to the photography of the area, and how best to approach some of the sessions in the coming days. This will be supported by later presentations during the remainder of the tour. Night in Albuquerque.

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Presentation (at hotel in Albuquerque): “Introduction to Bird Photography at Bosque del Apache”.

 

Day 2: Bosque del Apache NWR

The refuge is only 90 minutes away, and so we will have time for an opening session within the refuge during this morning. We will use the time in the morning to scope out multiple sites around the refuge, and confirm which are the most productive at the time, as these can vary based on recent local conditions, such as weather and corresponding water levels. There will always be multiple, excellent sites for bird photography within this large refuge, although these are not permanently fixed every year. Therefore, we will check multiple locations during the morning, to find the ones that are best suited for the group’s needs; this will include finding best spots for morning take-offs at sunrise and evening, sunset fly-ins, as these are often the critical locations for the most impressive shots. Our morning explorations will be put to use during our first afternoon photoshoot there, and in the following days. The following five nights of the tour will be spent in good accommodation in Socorro, a wonderful central New Mexico town that is located less than twenty miles from the refuge. 

 

*Presentation: “Bird Photography Basics”. This will take place after a meal break, during the middle of the day in Socorro, and further aid us in preparation for the afternoon photography session.

 

Days 3-5: Bosque del Apache NWR

All of these days will be spent photographing some of the thousands of birds wintering within the refuge. At certain times, we will specifically focus on the two flagship species, Snow Geese, which occur in massive, raucous flocks at this time, and Sandhill Cranes that gather in great numbers to roost each day there. Thus, the bookends of the day are often the best times to visit, and our schedule will reflect that. We will take advantage of early morning, specifically at sunrise times, both for the seductive lighting, but also as this is the time when thousands of birds remain from having roosted there overnight, and later begin to take off spectacularly as they seek alternative, more widely scattered areas, for foraging during the day. This makes for fantastic morning flights of birds as they take off, en-masse. Similarly, we will be there in the afternoons, when the birds congregate once more to roost in very specific locations that concentrate the numbers of them spectacularly, both making the most of the gorgeous afternoon light, all the way to sunset, while accompanied by constant flights of cranes and geese, descending on specific locales to rest the night. Thus, the photo sessions will be focused on either ends of the day, with presentations to complement these during the middle of the day, when we take a break for lunch too. While, undoubtedly, we will inevitably focus for long periods on the Sandhill Cranes and the Snow Geese, the refuge is home to many other ducks and geese too, so while we will take time with these celebrity subjects, we may also return with photos of others such as, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Canvasback, Ring-necked Duck and scaup. Gamebirds, raptors, herons, egrets, shorebirds, blackbirds, and many other birds also frequent the refuge at this time, and so even away from the masses of geese and cranes, we are going to be kept busy whenever we are inside Bosque del Apache. It truly is a haven for wintering wildlife, and a dream locale for bird photographers.

 

*Presentations (to be given at the hotel in Socorro): 

 

Day 3: “Mastering Flight Photography”

This will be of particular use during both the morning and afternoon sessions within the refuge when birds fill the air, while leaving or coming in to roost in incredible numbers.

 

Day 4: “Pushing the Creative Bounds of Your Photography”

We will discuss new ideas and directions to take your photography. Some of these techniques include panning, creative lighting and perspectives.

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Day 5: “How to Maximize Field Photography”

Tips and tricks for realife, in the field, photography (i.e. away from feeder set ups or static situations like nests, in other words “on the fly photography”). This can greatly increase the number of species open to be photographed, and therefore add yet more to your personal photo catalog.

 

Day 6: “Clean-up Day in Bosque del Apache”

This day has been set aside to focus specifically on whichever areas/species require further attention. This is the day we focus on finding whet we have not, or getting the shot that has eluded us. This could be in the form of further sunrise and sunset photo shoots with the flagship geese and cranes, as many are forever seeking a better shot in these addictive situations, or we may decide the chase after some other birds that have eluded us in recent days. Irrespective of the plan, any bird photographer, will inevitably start to feel a sense of sadness at soon leaving a place that has given so many images and sights to photograph. For good reason, some photographers mark this refuge on their personal calendar each and every year! 

 

*There are no presentations on this day in order to maximize our final field time.

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Day 7: Socorro to Albuquerque for Departure

After breakfast at the hotel, we shall pack up and leave Socorro, when the guide will drive the entire group to Albuquerque airport in time for noon departures or later. There will be no photography on this day.