Greater Yellowlegs | Photo by Jonathan Dowell
Join us for an amazing weekend of birding, nature, art, and poetry at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge and beyond from Friday, May 2 through Sunday, May 4. There is truly something for everyone at our Spring Migration Celebration 2025!
‘Tis the season of shorebirds (avocets, curlews, phalaropes, pelicans and more) and colorful small migrants, including warblers, chats, flycatchers, and swallows.
Vermilion Flycatcher | Photo by Alex Harper
Birding experts and engaging presenters, Holly Merker and Alex Harper will teach you how to identify birds by sight, sound, and behavior, and how to just enjoy them, even if you can’t remember their names!
We’ll host seventeen events over three days, some free and some for a small fee.
On Friday, we’ll kick off our celebration with two events. Holly and Alex will lead a birding excursion to Water Canyon in the Magdalena Mountains where you’ll likely see some of New Mexico’s rarer montane nesting birds, including the highly sought-after Red-faced Warbler. If you want to explore nature and poetry, join writer Don Boyd and a small group of others as they share their love of birds, the natural world, and the written word out on a trail amongst the trees at the refuge.
On Saturday at the refuge, we’ll have six wonderful birding workshops, our annual Desert Arboretum Stroll to highlight the beauty of the blooming Chihuahuan Desert, and a talented local wildlife sculptor, Sharon Fullingim, at work in the BdA plaza!
Cactus blossoms | Photo by Wayne Washam
That evening starting at 5:30 pm, our celebration goes indoors at the Socorro Convention Center where you can enjoy heavy appetizers, our annual celebration meeting, and the film premiere of “A Refuge for All Seasons” by Christi Bode (watch the film trailer now). The evening will be capped by a thought-provoking and hopeful keynote presentation, “Risking it All” by Laura Paskus, longtime environmental reporter and author.
American Avocet | Photo by Alex Harper
The celebration continues on Sunday with more birding workshops on the refuge. That afternoon, you could take a Forest Bathing workshop with Holly where you will engage your senses and unlock the health and restorative benefits that the natural world holds – the only thing you’ll shed is your stress. Another option on Sunday afternoon is a birding workshop with Alex on the New Mexico Tech (NMT) campus in Socorro. The wooded lawns and shrubby edges at NMT lure in local birds for breeding, as well as migrants; you may see migratory swallows, vireos, warblers, tanagers and other birds in the mix!
American White Pelicans | Photo by John Olson
Classes and workshops are limited to twelve people each so participants can enjoy a quiet experience and personal interaction with instructors. Register now to secure your spot and get ready for a weekend of adventure and wonder…and possibly some “lifers” too!
To register, and for more information, go to: https://friendsofbosquedelapache.org/smc/.
White-faced Ibis | Photo by David Brooke