Snow Geese in Flight at Bosque Del Apache Photo by Robert Schantz
Snow Goose	Ross's Goose
Photos by Stuart Healy, Western U.S. Bird Guide Specializing in SE Arizona and the White Mountains

It was a clear, cool morning when twelve people from Birders Anonymous and Sonoran Audubon left for Socorro, New Mexico. After we drove through Show Low we started to see snow along the highway and it was cold and windy when we stopped at Becker Lake.

Two adult Bald Eagles were guarding their territory from a large tree across the lake. Among the abundant Coot and Shovelers we spotted Buffleheads and a Common Goldeneye.

After lunch in Springerville we arrived in Socorro in the late afternoon and drove to Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge to see the evening fly-in. The weather was c-c-cold (15 degrees) and very windy at the Flight Deck so we didn't linger long!

By morning the wind had died down and the day was sunny and cool, perfect for birding. We arrived at the Refuge in time for the morning fly-in. As the Sandhill Cranes came in to the icy pond we noticed that some had tucked their cold feet up into their warm belly feathers, not typical Sandhill flying posture at all.

The group watched a movie about the Refuge at the Visitors Center and afterwards we drove the tour loop. An immature American Redstart flitting about in the shrubs along the water's edge tested our birding skills for a while. In the farmlands along the north end of the Refuge there were hundreds of Sandhill Cranes, Snow Geese and Ross's Geese grazing in the cornfields. We were able to observe the differences between the two geese species up close. Ross's is smaller with a little triangular bill; the Snow Goose beak is much larger with the “grinning black lips”. Notice the photos of the two species of geese. All color phases (blue morphs) were mixed in with the flock.

We took a break for lunch at the Owl Bar and Grill and we were back in time for the evening fly-in. We drove back to the north fields where all the birds were and waited for sunset.

What a change from late morning! The birds were restless and noisy. Wave after wave of Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese came flying in from the northeast, flying over our heads and calling to the birds in the field. Flocks of ducks and blackbirds were swirling among the larger cranes and geese, all calling to each other. Along the road birders, photographers, young couples and families with children were all watching the spectacle with awe.

When the sun set we drove over to the Flight Deck. The water was like glass, no wind at all, and there were pockets of cranes standing around on the pond. The sun had set over the mountains in the west, the sky was red turning to dark blue and finally to black with stars. All of a sudden hundreds of Snow Geese flew in, white against the dark sky, their reflections on the lake below. They flew right over us on the deck and landed on the pond as we all looked up in silence. I know I will never forget that evening. It was a fitting ending to a perfect day.

Next morning we went to the New Mexico Tech. campus. In the mature trees we found a Eurasian Collared Dove and some Starlings . The group split up then, some heading home and some continuing birding New Mexico Tech. The group remaining saw a Merlin that was sitting on the ground and then go after its breakfast of a White-crowned Sparrow with a tremendous burst of speed. The group then went on to Water Canyon which was very quiet except for Mountain Chickadees, Oregon Juncos and a Brown Creeper. On the way back they saw a flock of Wild Turkeys fly across Highway 260 in front of the car. Everyone remarked it was the first time they actually saw Wild Turkeys fly.

The 70 species of birds seen were Pied-billed Grebe, Eared Grebe, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Snow Goose, Ross's Goose, Canada Goose, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Cooper's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, American Kestrel, Merlin, Bianchi Pheasant, Wild Turkey, Gambel's Quail, American Coot, Sandhill Crane, Killdeer, Greater Yellowlegs, Ring-billed Gull, Forester's Tern, Rock Dove, Eurasian Collared Dove, White-winged Dove, Mourning Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Red-naped Sapsucker, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Black Phoebe, Say's Phoebe, American Crow, Common Raven, Mountain Chickadee, Verdin, Brown Creeper, Bewick's Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Mountain Bluebird, European Starling, Yellow-rumped Warbler, American Redstart, Spotted Towhee, Canyon Towhee, Black-throated Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-winged Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Red-winged Blackbird, Western Meadowlark, Brewer's Blackbird, House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

Birders were: Marshall Esty, Shirley Fackelman, Darlene Gatto, Betty Roberts, Chuck Kangas, Ian Jeffrey, Jeanne Kirsch, Kris Coates, Gerry Horton, Ann Fogle with Dick Fogle and Donna Smith Leaders.