Saturday, January 22, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM
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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
As My Breathing Evened Out
As my breathing evened out, I began to notice other sensations. The water felt different from any other water I'd ever swum in, as if it were more solid than fluid, as though I were swimming through a liquid Sno-Kone. [swimming in 33 degree water / 34 degree air]
Swimming To Antarctica, Lynne Cox, The New Yorker, February 3, 2003