|
Leader: Bob Smith Price: $1825 (based on dbl occp - single suppl avail) Deposit: $300 Limit: 8 Days: 7 days/6 nights From: Albuquerque, NM Includes: lodging, complete meals, grnd transport, (incl airport pick-up & delivery), refuge fees, 5 full days of shooting
Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, located an hour’s drive south of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and embracing over 57,000 acres of marsh, grasslands, and desert uplands, is a magnet attracting wildlife photographers from around the world.
The prehistoric rattling cries of 17,000 sandhill cranes is enough to send chills of excitement through even the most seasoned professional wildlife photographer. As many as 30,000 snow geese darken the skies as they take to the air. Twenty five thousand ducks, represented by 14 different species, add their voices to the avian choral. Snow, Canada, and Ross’ geese, along with mallards, pintails, and northern shovelers fill every nook and cranny in the marshes. Dozens of bald eagles occupy the cottonwoods along the river. Roadrunners... beep, beep...hurry about in search of their next meal. Gambel’s quail are everywhere. This is truly a bird photographer’s paradise of unbelievable proportions. But birds are not all that Bosque has to offer. Mule deer, coyotes, porcupines, and badgers call the refuge their home.
Small group size allows in-depth instruction along with a high degree of personalized attention for beginners and professionals alike. Participant will learn how to make award winning images of birds. A special program is planned for each and every day.
Join Us at one of North America’s Top Bird Photography Locations
Itinerary
Day 1 - Arrive in Socorro, New Mexico, no later than 5 PM, at which time you will gather for dinner. Afterwards, you’ll receive instruction on photo techniques and a briefing on the week’s shooting lineup.
Day 2 - Your first morning will find your viewfinder filled with thousands of snow geese silhouetted against one of the spectacular crimson sunrises for which Bosque is so famous. Once the geese depart, you’ll head for the River Trail where your search for the ultimate wildlife image will take you through the Bosque along the Rio Grande. Following a morning in the refuge, it’s time for classroom; but not before enjoying lunch at the famous Owl Cafe, home of the world’s best green chili cheeseburgers and killer fries. You’ll spend the afternoon photographing cranes and geese near the refuge’s northern boundary. When the sun starts going down, you’ll head for Eagle Marsh and catch the show as the snows come home to roost.
Day 3 - Today, you’ll learn how to push your photographic limits. So often we determine ahead of time, without any thought of artistic interpretation, how a particular subject should be photographed. This morning, you’ll learn how to loosen those bonds and explore the artist inside from your sunrise vantage point overlooking Farm Loop Marsh. Before heading into town for a hearty mid-morning breakfast, you’ll explore the area surrounding the Visitor Center for Gambel’s quail. After your daily classroom session, it’s back to the refuge where you’ll spend the remainder of the day photographing a variety of bird life, to say nothing of the other animals that call the refuge their home. Who knows, it’s entirely possible for a coyote and...beep, beep... roadrunner to find their way into your viewfinder. Yes, you heard right -- coyote and roadrunner are alive and well at Bosque.
Day 4 - The Chupadera Mountains, illuminated in early morning alpen glow, provide the back-drop for families of sandhill cranes as they make their sunrise departure from San Antonio Marsh. Prior to lunch, you’ll explore both Marsh and Farm Loop roads for ring-necked pheasants, belted kingfishers, and black-crowned night herons. Last year, we photographed a pair of cooperative snipe along one of the canals. Anyone for a late-night snipe hunt? During these explorations, it’s not uncommon to see mule deer along the back-side of Marsh Loop. Following your afternoon classroom session, it’s back to the refuge where the remainder of the afternoon will be devoted to sharpening your bird photography skills. Sunset will find everyone photographing sandhill cranes and snow geese from a different vantage point along the banks of Eagle Marsh.
Day 5 - Sandhill cranes and a colorful Bosque sunrise will fill your viewfinder as we gather along the banks of a hidden marsh just off Marsh Loop road. Next, your never-ending search for wildlife takes you to the Rio Viejo Trail. By the time you’ve hiked its entire length, everyone will be ready for lunch. Once your classroom session is behind you, you’ll spend the remainder of the afternoon sharpening your skills on flight photography.
Day 6 - Sunrise at Bosque. This will be everyone’s last opportunity to photograph cranes and geese silhouetted against a Bosque sunrise. Afterward, you’ll explore many of the refuge’s sheltered coves and waterways where likely subjects include great blue herons, yellowlegs, killdeer, white-faced ibis, and bald eagles. Your last classroom session, following another memorable meal of green chili cheeseburgers, will be conducted in the field. Afterward, it’s back to work capturing those images you missed earlier in the week. There’s no better way to end your un-forgettable week than returning to where it all began -- Eagle Marsh. It was at this marsh where it all began, and today -- at sunset -- you’ll have one last opportunity to photograph your avian brothers and sisters, thank them for being your subjects, and welcome them home from a day in the fields.
Day 7 - All good things must come to an end. It’s time to return home and have all those rolls of film processed and pixels organized. Following breakfast, everyone will say their good byes and return to their homes across the country. Shuttles to the Albuquerque airport will depart at 9AM.
This itinerary is meant as a guide. Weather conditions will dictate when, and if, we visit certain locations.
|
Dates: Nov 29-Dec 6, 2008
