There Once Were 17
Anyone who knows me knows my immense dislike of cold. What then could possibly motivate me to leave the 75 degree days of low elevation Arizona to climb several thousand feet into the path of a winter storm in San Antonio, New Mexico?
Sandhill cranes! 15,000 of them to be exact. We have journeyed to the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, the winter home for the cranes, 20,000 snow geese, and myriad other bird species.
The refuge is on the banks of the Rio Grande, where for millennia seasonal floods created ponds and marshland where thousands upon thousands of birds would over-winter. However, the building of dams and the diversion of water to agricultural uses upstream led the wetlands and their migratory birds to disappear. In the early 1940’s, just 17 sandhill cranes were found here.
Franklin D. Roosevelt created the refuge in 1939 and the Civilian Conservation Corps began working to restore the wetlands. The refuge uses canals, locks, and gates to flood specific areas of the refuge and manage the soil moisture content. They also partner with local farmers to grow grains similar to those originally found in the wetlands so that the migrating birds have a veritable feast when they arrive and throughout the winter months. Because of this thoughtful stewardship of the land, the giant flocks of migratory birds have returned. And we couldn’t be happier!
Within hours of arriving, we saw several thousand snow geese feeding in a pond just up the road from our campground, and then watched and listened to hundreds of sandhill cranes feeding and flying in to roost for the night. Just as the last rays of the sun were disappearing and we were about to head back to camp, black lines began filling the sky and wave after wave of snow geese circled overhead and landed on the pond in front of us and settled in for the night. It was awe-inspiring.
Our friends Peter and Antonio drove down from Santa Fe to join us and we had such a marvelous time. The four of us perched on the roof of the RV before dawn to watch the fly-out and saw thousands of snow geese lift off at once with a roar unlike anything we’ve ever heard. None of us could stop smiling and there were lots of giggles of delight. The geese are acting a bit peculiar this year so we have been able to see them land and take off a number of times, sometimes often so close to us that it was like we were standing in a swirling white cloud.
The sandhills are majestic, four feet tall, almost as tall as Lisa, with an even larger wingspan. They are unbelievably loud, sounding something like a cross between a kazoo and a French horn, and are an absolute delight to watch. While the snow geese take off en masse, the cranes leave the ponds in small groups. Their behavior is fascinating to observe. Once they are woken up by the abrupt exit of the geese, the cranes begin a slow march towards the north end of the pond. Then, small groups begin to fly out—it is as if somehow there is a flight deck somewhere giving the all clear to take off signal. It’s so fascinating and we are so curious to learn more about their migration and flight behavior.
I believe that the heart of conservation is about creating places for wonder and reflection. Neither of us has ever seen this many birds, the quantity as well as the variety. Being in this refuge, watching the geese take to the air, the cranes glide above, a bald eagle perched on a snag and buffleheads bobbing up and down in a pond—for us, it all falls under the auspices of a spiritual experience. The wild continues to restore us, to change us, to stretch us, and to move us. Thank goodness FDR had the foresight to set aside this land in particular, for spending ample time in the Bosque has been a tremendous gift as we count this as one of the most special places we have visited, ever.
