CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Bosque del Apache is part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge System, a national network of lands and waters set aside and managed for the benefit of wildlife.

Snow geese by Paul Sager, on Flickr


Situated between the Chupadera Mountains to the west and the San Pascual Mountains to the east in south-central New Mexico, the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1939 to provide a critical stopover for migrating waterfowl. The refuge is well known for the tens of thousands of cranes, geese, and ducks who winter in the refuge each year.

Snow goose


During the spring and fall migrations, the 57,331-acre refuge is used for rest and refueling by many birds as they follow the Rio Grande River through the woodlands that hug the riverbanks, called bosque.

Snow geese


The film camera used was an EOS 1V, the last model of Canon professional film cameras, released in 2000 and discontinued in May 2018. Processing and scanning was performed by North Coast Photography Services of Carlsbad, CA. Film - Kodak Tri-X 400 with a yellow filter on the lens. Lens - EF 300 f/2.8L IS II and Canon Extender 2x III, creating a 600mm f/5.6 configuration.

When flocks are feeding during wintering and migrations, lookouts keep an eye out for eagles and other predators. Upon sighting a threat they call out to the rest of the flock, which may take flight.

Snow geese confusion


This medium-sized goose is one of the most abundant species of waterfowl in the world, breeding in large, often dense colonies north of the tree line from extreme northeastern Russia (Wrangel Island), along the coast and islands of arctic and subarctic North America to northwestern Greenland.

Snow goose


The Snow Goose is a voracious forager, feeding for sustained periods of time in concentrated areas. Its diet consists entirely of plant material, and its primary foraging strategy involves grubbing for underground rhizomes, tubers, and roots, but it also grazes on tender new shoots of aquatic and agricultural plants. During migration and on the wintering grounds, they actively scavenge agricultural fields for waste grain.

Snow geese confusion


Watching huge flocks of Snow Geese swirl down from the sky, amid a cacophony of honking, is a little like standing inside a snow globe. Snow Goose hunting in the eastern United States was stopped in 1916 because of low population levels. Snow Geese have skyrocketed in numbers and are now among the most abundant waterfowl on the continent.

Snow geese confusion


Because of the Snow Goose's flocking behavior on the wintering grounds and during migration, scientists still do not know how, or exactly when, mate selection occurs.

Snow goose


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RichardTaylor Loc: Sydney, Australia

Good set.

Swamp-Cork Loc: Lanexa, Virginia

Excellent series, Paul!

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Thank you Richard, Swamp-Cork! It took a lot of discipline to not blow an entire roll on a burst / blast on the birds similar to shooting digitally. Thankfully, the flock take-off into the sky happened while I had the long lens mounted to the film camera. The BIF frames were a bit thin in the pickings from the processed results. Glad you enjoyed these.

ncribble Loc: Albuquerque, NM

Paul, Love you captures and just as important is the narratives you write. The Festival of the Cranes at the Bosque del Apache is an annual event for us, but then we only live 60 miles away. Thanks for coming and sharing your great photographs.

Granddad Loc: UK

Superb set of images.
Dave.

NJFrank Loc: New Jersey

Nice set

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

I went there last year and the year before last. It was amazing. Did you go during the Festival of the Crane event? I did last year and Canon had a large area setup to do free sensor cleaning, and they would print large prints on their Pro-1000 large format printer for free too. They also loaned equipment to try out. I tried out some binoculars but wish I could have gone again this year to try them again since I'm thinking of replacing my current binoculars. I got some fantastic photos as I see you did too.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Thank you Jeep Daddy! I've been to Bosque now three times, always in mid to late December during holiday travel. The November timing of the Festival is problematic for my schedule. But, it's on the list.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Thank you Norm, Dave, NJFrank! I was to Bosque for two days back to back in Dec 2017. The snow geese were in a corn field until the mass take off. After they left, the cranes started flying over me to get to that corn field that yielded some great images, all digital. I posted some of that work earlier in 2018 and 'found' these scanned film images much later in the year. Glad you enjoyed.