Saturday, January 22, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM

Foraging, Sandhill Cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 17, 2011

What do cranes eat anyway?

From what I can see, here they seem to be eating corn, which is grown for them, and the tubers of marsh grasses. You can't see it but this grassy meadow is flooded with a couple of inches of water. This area extends "upstream" from the shallow pond where the cranes roost. Pumps are running, pumping water into the upper end of this long meadow whence it flows slowly down through the grasses to the pond. Makes for good foraging and photographing.

Sandhill Cranes forage by picking and probing with their long bills both at and below the water’s surface, as well as on land. They prefer grain when available, but eat a wide variety of foods. In their northern breeding areas, they consume berries, mammals, and insects. Where resident year-round, Sandhill Cranes eat insects, reptiles, amphibians, small birds and mammals, seeds, and berries. Source: Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.

Night camp

Site 10 - Bosque Bird Watcher's RV Park, San Antonio NM

This is a basic, small Mom & Pop RV Park with full hookups.
Verizon cell phone and Broadband service are available here with a strong signal.
Locate Bosque Bird Watcher's RV Park on my Night Camps map
Click for Google street view
Check the weather in San Antonio NM

Ask What Surprised Them

I was afraid of flying for a long time and could only travel vicariously. When friends came back from faraway places, it wasn't just out of politeness that I asked what they saw. I really wanted to know. And I found the best way to get information out of them was to ask what surprised them. How was the place different from what they expected? This is an extremely useful question. You can ask it of the most unobservant people, and it will extract information they didn't even know they were recording.

The Age of the Essay, Paul Graham, September 2004

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