Moderator: E.J. Peiker

All times are UTC-05:00

  
« Previous topic | Next topic »  
Reply to topic  
 First unread post  | 17 posts | 
by calvin1calvin on Sun Nov 16, 2014 9:50 pm
calvin1calvin
Forum Contributor
Posts: 1137
Joined: 21 Aug 2003
Location: Beaumont, TX
Member #:00184
I know the Festival of Cranes is upcoming soon.  Does anyone have any reports of what to expect this year at the Bosque?  I have a trip planned for Dec. 10 and was curious of the birds, corn, etc.  What condition is the refuge?  Thanks
 

by scorless on Mon Nov 17, 2014 8:26 pm
scorless
Forum Contributor
Posts: 350
Joined: 27 Feb 2004
Location: Corrales, NM USA
Right now Bosque del Apache is beautiful. The birds have come in early this year and are showing large numbers for this early. Unfortunately, there is little or no corn on the refuge. There is however, quite a bit of corn through out the area and the birds should be ok. It is my understanding that the cranes will be able to find lots of food on the refuge and will be ok until it gets really cold and then they do need the corn to help them during the cold. The snow geese however, need corn regardless of the temperatures and it maybe difficult for them.

The north fields that we have enjoyed photographing at during the mornings and afternoons have little or no food and most likely will not have birds in them this year. The refuge is experimenting with different corn seeds and has found one that has done well in a small field to the far north (not accessible to the public). Management is making several changes this year to reverse the trend of no corn on the refuge. As a photographer who spends a lot of time at the refuge I know how hard it is to not have what we have come to expect there. However, I do believe an all out effort is being made by management to improve the situation for the birds and also us.

It maybe another year or so before the trend starts to go back in a direction that will make us all happy. In the mean time Lad Gordon still offers opportunities and the refuge always presents some interesting and unexpected events and highlights.

Please feel free to contract me using  pm with your questions.
Sandy Corless
 

by rajandesai on Wed Nov 19, 2014 4:14 pm
User avatar
rajandesai
Forum Contributor
Posts: 2294
Joined: 6 Apr 2009
Location: MA, USA
Member #:01263
I was there last week. Agree with what Sandy has said. There were about 5K cranes, 25-30K light geese and 55+K ducks (as of last week). Somehow birds are roosting somewhere else, I didn't see too many birds on the main pond in the morning but the crane pool along the road was very productive.

Snow geese did make it to the North fields during the day... I think they have alpha alpha growing there. There were many "mini blast offs" at this location. This still should be a good place to take flight shots of geese (not too many cranes there though)

Ducks were everywhere, especially on the main pond, making it easy to get down low.
 

by calvin1calvin on Wed Nov 19, 2014 9:21 pm
calvin1calvin
Forum Contributor
Posts: 1137
Joined: 21 Aug 2003
Location: Beaumont, TX
Member #:00184
Great news. I have a trip planned for Dec. 10th and hope the birds are still there.
 

by James McIntyre on Sat Nov 22, 2014 10:47 pm
User avatar
James McIntyre
Lifetime Member
Posts: 541
Joined: 21 Aug 2003
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Member #:00068
Nature photography is about more than taking good pictures.  Besides knowing how to operate a camera, the complete nature photographer should have an appreciation of the natural history of the subjects being photographed and a respect for their well-being.

There is perhaps nothing in nature more beautiful than a skein of Snow Geese beating their way across a clear blue sky, white wings illuminated by a bright sun.  Capturing this scene is every nature photographer's dream.  But for photogs new to Bosque and for veterans perhaps not yet aware, may I respectfully emphasize once more that there is a very serious light goose (Greater and Lesser Snow Geese, Ross's Geese) overpopulation problem in North America?  Light geese are destroying not only the tundra habitat of their own breeding grounds in arctic and sub-arctic regions but also those of other species.  The situation has been termed "an ecosystem in peril".

I published information about this problem, complete with many references, in a lengthy NSN thread in 2012:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=222034
This thread was abruptly terminated by NSN in what seemed to be an attempt to suppress information.

Here are some recent updates on this dire situation:
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/birds/snowprob/

Following are 2 models applicable to the overpopulation control problem.

Control Model 1:

Light geese begin breeding in their second year and may live as long as 20 years.  The average clutch size is ~4.  According to a simple 'actuarial' model I devised, in order to decrease the light goose population by 5% every year, for a family of 6 it would be necessary to increase the annual mortality rate to ~68.3%.  The break-even mortality rate (no population gain/loss) is ~66.7%.  The mortality rate for the current ~5-7% annual population gain is ~65.0%.  (A continuing 5% annual gain will double the population again in ~14  years, in 10 years if 7%;  cf. the 'Rule of 72' used in financial investing.)  This model indicates that relatively small changes in the mortality rate could reverse the current population explosion.  The problem is that the light goose population now numbers in the tens of millions and an increased harvesting of hundreds of thousands of birds per year would be required.  Like a mouse trying to stop a stampede.  A second problem is that this increased mortality rate must be applied to the whole population, not just a small fraction, and that this rate must be maintained for many years until the ecosystem is in balance again.  After that the break-even rate should suffice.

This model is oversimplified in that it does not properly account for non-breeding birds - juveniles, unmated, gays(?), elders.  But as each pair of breeding geese may produce 50-100 goslings, theirs is by far the most important contribution to the total population.  Thus the mortality rate figures in my simple model should be reasonably good estimates.

Control Model 2:

Again, according to the Rule of 72, a 50% reduction of the total goose population in 10 years could be accomplished either by applying a tapering reduction of 7% annually, or by a reduction in equal slices of 5% of the starting population.  But this model will not work, because only a minor fraction of the total population is affected.  Meanwhile the major fraction will continue breeding, increasing the total population by 5-7% annually.  The net result would essentially be a wash.  To achieve the desired population decrease, it would actually be necessary to apply a ~14% annual reduction rate.  For a 25-million bird base, this would require a harvest of ~3.5 million birds in the first year alone!

Some proposals aim to reduce the current Ross's Goose population of ~3,000,000 to 100,000, its population in the 1960s, but there has been strong opposition from the public in Canada.  Note that the current population level is consistent with an annual increase of 7% over the last 50 years.  Every 10 years the population has doubled:  100,000, 200,000, 400,000, 800,000, 1,600,000, 3,200,000 ........  The numbers are staggering!

Such models, and more complex ones, are used by North American wildlife service agencies and their professional biologists and refuge managers to assess the welfare of light geese and breeding habitat and what needs to be done to achieve a balance.

Imagine the consequences if the light goose population explosion is allowed to continue at its present rate.  The arctic tundra habitat has already exceeded its support limits.  Immediate action is required.  Owing to the huge numbers of birds involved and the remoteness of their breeding grounds, reducing their populations in any substantial way is a daunting task.  The only effective methods currently being applied are hunting and restriction of food supplies for migrating birds but these have proved inadequate.  Culling and egg destruction are possible harsher alternatives.  (For an excellent comprehensive discussion, see http://www.nodakoutdoors.com/snow-goose-genetics.php.)  Ultimately, a military-style assault may be required to eradicate the surplus of light geese, while still protecting other tundra-nesting species.

If these goals are not met, the light goose population will inevitably crash due to starvation, malnutrition and disease.  Survivors may be too weak to migrate.

For a hunters' perspective, see:
http://www.huntupnorth.com/hello-world.html

The Bosque del Apache NWR is operated by USFWS, which is a partner in the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP):
http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/NAWMP/index.shtm
http://www.nawmprevision.org/
The managers of the Bosque Refuge have a particularly difficult task in fulfilling this plan because many conflicting interests must be considered, both avian and human.  These were discussed at length in my 2012 thread and earlier comments:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=221867&p=2152676&hilit=207255#p2152676
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=221867&start=20)

The post by Sandy Corless in the present thread suggests that the Refuge is following the NAWMP.

Hopefully, visitors to Bosque this Fall will find this info eye-opening and relevant and that it leads to a greater understanding of waterfowl management.  I hope you get some great pics.  But please also appreciate what is happening and what needs to be done.

I will visit the SNOW GOOSE FESTIVAL OF THE PACIFIC FLYWAY at Chico, CA in January.  Many of the Snow Geese wintering there originate from Wrangel Island off the northern coast of Siberia.  I visited the nearby Sacramento NWR in November a few years ago and was astonished by the number of geese.  I estimated 150,000.  It seemed as if every square foot of space on the dikes was occupied by a goose.

The Festival has a juried art show where I will exhibit some of my fine art prints.

JM


Last edited by James McIntyre on Wed Dec 03, 2014 9:23 pm, edited 12 times in total.
 

by Blck-shouldered Kite on Sun Nov 23, 2014 10:19 am
Blck-shouldered Kite
Forum Contributor
Posts: 2669
Joined: 31 Dec 2010
Location: Maine
comment moved to Environment, Conservation, Ethics forum


Last edited by Blck-shouldered Kite on Sun Nov 23, 2014 12:11 pm, edited 3 times in total.
 

by Blck-shouldered Kite on Sun Nov 23, 2014 10:44 am
Blck-shouldered Kite
Forum Contributor
Posts: 2669
Joined: 31 Dec 2010
Location: Maine
comment moved to Environment, Conservation and Ethics forum


Last edited by Blck-shouldered Kite on Sun Nov 23, 2014 12:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
 

by SantaFeJoe on Sun Nov 23, 2014 11:08 am
User avatar
SantaFeJoe
Forum Contributor
Posts: 8622
Joined: 28 Jan 2012
Location: Somewhere Out In The Wilds
Robert,
If you Google "Snow Goose Destruction of Breeding Grounds" you can find a lot of info on the subject. I, personally, feel that this separate topic should be a thread in the "Environment, Conservation and Ethics" forum so as to not distract from the OPs topic! The Bosque is about so much more than just Snow Geese!

Joe
Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.  -Pablo Picasso
 

by Blck-shouldered Kite on Sun Nov 23, 2014 12:03 pm
Blck-shouldered Kite
Forum Contributor
Posts: 2669
Joined: 31 Dec 2010
Location: Maine
SantaFeJoe,

Yes, I agree.  I will move my comments/questions over to ECE now and delete them here.  Hopefully folks can comment on mine over in ECE.  

Of course, the Bosque is about the entire system, before any one component.  And it is about its deep, heart-moving history; i.e. the Apache wintering grounds and all.  I want to learn more about that!  Wow!   And it is about the lack of water!

And, as you alluded to in your 2012 comment, the Bosque del Apache system and history, come well before any and all nature photography interests.  

Robert
itsaboutnature.net
 

by James McIntyre on Wed Nov 26, 2014 8:38 pm
User avatar
James McIntyre
Lifetime Member
Posts: 541
Joined: 21 Aug 2003
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Member #:00068
rajandesai wrote: Snow geese did make it to the North fields during the day... I think they have alpha alpha growing there.
Alfalfa?
 

by SantaFeJoe on Fri Nov 28, 2014 12:23 pm
User avatar
SantaFeJoe
Forum Contributor
Posts: 8622
Joined: 28 Jan 2012
Location: Somewhere Out In The Wilds
scorless wrote: The refuge is experimenting with different corn seeds and has found one that has done well in a small field to the far north (not accessible to the public).
Here is a bit of info on the corn the refuge is experimenting with:

http://www.fws.gov/uploadedFiles/Heirloom%20Final.pdf

It is important to remember that crops must be rotated to keep the soil nutrients from being depleted. Here is a chart showing some info on that:

http://www.friendsofthebosque.org/refug ... owler2.pdf

Corn cannot be expected to be found in the same fields year after year. There are other crops that are utilized by the cranes and geese, as well.

Joe
Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.  -Pablo Picasso
 

by James McIntyre on Fri Nov 28, 2014 6:47 pm
User avatar
James McIntyre
Lifetime Member
Posts: 541
Joined: 21 Aug 2003
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Member #:00068
SFJ:

Thanks for the info about the corn.

I am still refining the methods and mortality numbers required to control the light goose overpopulation.  This has required several edits to my original post of 11/22 as my understanding of this very complex problem grew.  I should be finished in a few days.  The results are staggering.

Thanks to all for your patience.

JM
 

by SantaFeJoe on Fri Nov 28, 2014 7:28 pm
User avatar
SantaFeJoe
Forum Contributor
Posts: 8622
Joined: 28 Jan 2012
Location: Somewhere Out In The Wilds
James McIntyre wrote:SFJ:

Thanks for the info about the corn.

I am still refining the methods and mortality numbers required to control the light goose overpopulation.  This has required several edits to my original post of 11/22 as my understanding of this very complex problem grew.  I should be finished in a few days.  The results are staggering.

Thanks to all for your patience.

JM
Hey James,

There is a thread in the "Environment, Conservation and Ethics" forum you might want to chime in on.

http://www.naturescapes.net/forums/view ... 7&t=250205

Joe
Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.  -Pablo Picasso
 

by James McIntyre on Sat Nov 29, 2014 3:42 pm
User avatar
James McIntyre
Lifetime Member
Posts: 541
Joined: 21 Aug 2003
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Member #:00068
A few more words on corn crops.

It is my understanding, from my retired USGS friend who lives near Socorro, that the federally operated Bosque del Apache NWR is prohibited from raising GMO corn.  This is not true for the Ladd Gordon waterfowl complex, which is operated by the State of New Mexico.

In the early 2000s, one well-known bird photographer used to schedule his workshops to coincide with the time when the first rows of corn were being knocked down in the fields at the north end of the BdA tour loop.  At that time at least, I believe corn was being planted in these fields every year.  It is actually possible to plant multiple crops of corn in the same year, provided the soil is well-fertilized.

JM
 

by SantaFeJoe on Sat Nov 29, 2014 7:14 pm
User avatar
SantaFeJoe
Forum Contributor
Posts: 8622
Joined: 28 Jan 2012
Location: Somewhere Out In The Wilds
In the link I provided for the corn, it says that they have not planted GM corn at Bosque for several years and that the entire refuge system must eliminate GMOs by 2016. The corn at Ladd Gordon is some of the healthiest looking corn I have ever seen. I don't know if it's GM or not, but I sure hope not.

Joe
Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.  -Pablo Picasso
 

by James McIntyre on Sun Nov 30, 2014 7:16 pm
User avatar
James McIntyre
Lifetime Member
Posts: 541
Joined: 21 Aug 2003
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Member #:00068
For those interested, I have edited, revised and expanded my original post of November 22.

JM
 

by SantaFeJoe on Wed Dec 24, 2014 1:48 pm
User avatar
SantaFeJoe
Forum Contributor
Posts: 8622
Joined: 28 Jan 2012
Location: Somewhere Out In The Wilds
This may be of interest to some of you. It is the agreement farmers must sign at Bosque:

http://www.friendsofthebosque.org/Forag ... eement.pdf

And a map of the areas to be planted:

http://www.friendsofthebosque.org/AttachmentCmap.pdf

Joe
Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.  -Pablo Picasso
 

Display posts from previous:  Sort by:  
17 posts | 
  

Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group