Ladd S. Gordon Wildlife Management Area, Bernardo NM
The Ladd S. Gordon Wildlife Management Area, in northern Socorro County, New Mexico, is in the Albuquerque Basin on the west bank of the Rio Grande just north and upstream from that river's confluence with the Rio Puerco.
The area attracts large flocks of wintering cranes, ducks, geese, and many other species of waterfowl, shorebirds, and birds of prey.
I've spent considerable time the last few winters photographing birds at the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge to the south in San Antonio NM and will visit Bernardo occassionally to see what’s happening.
Ladd S. Gordon Wildlife Management Area
Bernardo is a tiny unincorporated community in Socorro County, New Mexico at the northern junction of US 60 and Interstate 25. Bernardo was named around 1902 after a friend of John Becker, a leading merchant in nearby Belen. The main point of interest is the nearby Bernardo Wildlife Management Area, visited by large flocks of sandhill cranes and other birds.
The New Mexico Department of Water Game and Fish manages the Bernardo Wildlife Management Area, a unit of the Ladd S. Gordon Waterfowl Complex. It covers 1,700 acres (690 ha) that have been set aside to provide a winter habitat for waterfowl such as ducks and geese and for sandhill cranes. A flock containing as many as 5,000 cranes may congregate at one time in the area. There are three observation decks along a 2.8 miles (4.5 km) dirt road near the Rio Grande. A separate 3 miles (4.8 km) loop goes through some of the huge, undeveloped area of grasslands along a deep channel of the Rio Puerco.
Fields of parched corn and of alfalfa are planted to provide bird food. The birds are wary of predators such as coyotes who may lurk in the standing corn, but sections are pulled down for them so they can eat in safety. In the winter some of the fields may be flooded, or there may be ponds where the cranes roost for safety. Mule deer sometimes share the fields with the birds.
Wikipedia
White-crowned Sparrow
Be My Valentine
Time to Go
Crane's in the Corn...
White-crowned Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow - First Winter, Ladd S. Gordon Wildlife Management Area, Bernardo NM
February 2, 2014
These are such common little birds in the west I find it easy to overlook them but they can be quite beautiful when caught in a close-up.
White-crowned Sparrow
The white-crowned sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) is a medium-sized sparrow native to North America.
Adults are 18 cm (7 in) long and have black and white stripes on their head, a gray face, brown streaked upper parts and a long tail. The wings are brown with bars and the underparts are gray. Their bill is pink or yellow. They are similar in appearance to the white-throated sparrow, but do not have the white throat markings or yellow lores.
Their breeding habitat is brushy areas across northern Canada and the western United States.
These birds forage on the ground or in low vegetation, but sometimes make short flights to catch flying insects. They mainly eat seeds, other plant parts and insects. In winter, they often forage in flocks.
White-crowned sparrows nest either low in bushes or on the ground under shrubs and lay three to five brown-marked gray or greenish-blue eggs.
The white-crowned sparrow is known for its natural alertness mechanism, which allows it to stay awake for up to two weeks during migration. This effect has been studied for possible human applications, such as shift-work drowsiness or truck driving.
Wikipedia
Be My Valentine
Sandhill Cranes, Ladd S. Gordon Wildlife Management Area, Bernardo NM
February 8, 2014
“I hope you love birds too. It is economical. It saves going to heaven.”
— Emily Dickinson
Time to Go
Sandhill Cranes Flying Out, Ladd S. Gordon Wildlife Management Area, Bernardo NM
February 8, 2014
Spring can't be too far off - the snowbirds are leaving. It's gotten eerily quiet around here the last few days. Most of the cranes and snow geese wintering here have left for their northern breeding grounds. I only realized how accustomed I'd become to their constant chatter in the valley when it stopped. Now that I no longer feel compelled to be out taking their pictures, maybe I can get caught up on organizing and sorting the many thousands I took of them over the winter and get a few more posted here.
Crane's in the Corn...
Sandhill Crane, Ladd S. Gordon Wildlife Management Area, Bernardo NM
January 11, 2014