In Formation, Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis), Ladd S. Gordon Waterfowl Complex: Bernardo Waterfowl Management Area, Socorro County, New Mexico USA

            Out with the ELCC Mid-week Marauders last Wednesday to Bernardo.

Turn your camera in any direction, up or down, you can’t miss a bird on every 360 degree tick of the compass – and not just any bird… Cranes, Geese for sure, but Kestral, Red-tailed Hawk, Merlin, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Northern Flicker, Phoebes, Thrush, Towhees, Sparrows, Meadowlark, Crows, Killdeer and other waders and Mallards and other ducks abound.  Not even trying, my eBird checklist for the day was for 15 species and this eBird Hotspot boasts 218 species seen over the past 12 months!  

Mr. Phillip Lucero, the Assistant Unit Manager at Bernardo met with the Marauders and tells us they have grown over 1.3 million pounds of corn this year at this site and that there are only four NMG&F staff here at the Management Area!!  He says that the State NMG&F Biologist says over 15,000 cranes and geese are currently residing and/or visiting this and adjacent NM managed wildlife areas.

I have seen thousands of Flamingos on Lake Naivasha in Kenya; I have seen large, large flocks of migrating birds in Jordan and Haiti; but I have never in my life seen so many birds in one place in one day as I have seen twice in the last two weeks at Bernardo – 50 minutes south of Albuquerque.  Why aren’t more New Mexicans coming to see this free world-class spectacle?  Why isn’t this better advertised by the State of New Mexico?  While we were there, I saw license plates from California, Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma and Utah.

Taken in: United States / New Mexico / Bernardo (show map)

Taken on: January 10, 2024

Tags:

bird

animal

Sandhill Crane

NM Game & Fish

eBird

Bernardo

Ladd S. Gordon

Socorro County

New Mexico

USA « less

Sets appears in: • New Mexico Birds

Groups appears in: • Mid-Week Marauders • Birds And Words! Your best BIRD photos with a great story! more » • what to hunt • Nature in Flight « less

Camera: Sony ILCE-1, f/11.0, 1/640 sec, 840mm, ISO 2000 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Sony ILCE-1
Lens:	FE 600mm F4 GM OSS + 1.4X Teleconverter
Aperture:	f/11.0
Exposure Time:	0.002 sec (1/640)
Focal Length:	840mm
ISO:	2000
Exposure Bias:	+1 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Manual
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic 13.1 (Windows)
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