The Friends of the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico welcome you! We work on behalf of birds and wildlife, helping to protect the critically important habitat of the Bosque del Apache NWR, and helping to educate and inform the public about the value and beauty of all life at the Bosque.
We are a non-profit group which was organized in 1993 to support the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge and to promote appreciation and conservation of wildlife and habitat through environmental education and natural history.

We'd Love to have you as our Friend! Please consider Joining Us in this crucial effort!

We have some great resources on our site for you, including information about our Refuge with detailed year-round birding information; maps; and many of the special projects The Friends of the Bosque have accomplished and are planning.

We invite you to our great Refuge educational events which include workshops, programs, seminars, classes and lectures, and more including color posters you can download. Most of the workshops and events are free with the exception of the Festival of the Cranes Events


2012 will be the 25th Annual Festival of The Cranes; with six great days of workshops, tours, lectures, hikes and special activities; and our popular Art Show (painting, photography, jewelry, crafts, clothing and more) and Wildlife Exhibitions (snakes, wolves, raptors and more!) was a great success! Festival Art "Crane Pair Reflections" at right was the Festival image for 2010, and the new image just below was the 2011 Festival Art, featured on t-shirts, lapel pins, mugs and more. Please plan to come in 2012- Each year people LOVE this grand event!




Our Bosque Nature Store Online and at the Refuge Supports all the Friends' Important Educational and Refuge Projects. Everything you purchase helps our efforts. We have all the Festival merchandise for sale online, too!


We two great slide shows of photographs of scenes of the Bosque and photographs of the birds and wildlife you might see here at our spectacular Refuge. We also have an exciting flyout page with sound and a few videos for you to see as well! Welcome!

Thank you for visiting our web site, and don't forget to check What's new at both the Refuge and What's New with Friends!

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E-Bird Trail Tracker (below)
Also...Please see Current Bird Counts
Direct from the Refuge Staff from November to mid March
See detailed Checklists and Birding resources
for the Bosque ...click here.......

Last weekend, visitors to the Refuge saw our many of our winter friends- the thousands of birds and other wildlife who rely on the Bosque for survival! Our Refuge was absolutely spectacular - thousands of cranes were close to the tour loop, the sky filled at times with bursts of thousands of snow geese and javilinas ran across the ditch banks. A family of mule deer were grazing near the Visitor Center, 7-8 bald and golden eagles waited in the trees thorughout the Reguge, and tens of thousands of ducks were on the many ponds! All Refuge tour roads are open and dry! Come see our many feathered and furry friends with whom we share this world!

Youth Spring Turkey Hunt announced

E.C.O.L.A.B. (Every Child Outside Learning About Bosque)
We, The Friends are partnering with Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio Elementary and Audubon New Mexico for this intensive environmental education program! Please see information and photos of our important special program - E.C.O.L.A.B.

We are deeply saddened for the family and friends of Betty Davis, past President and tremendous volunteer for the Friends of the Bosque. We cannot express enough gratitude for her many years of help and dedication to the Refuge and the Friends. She was committed to helping birds and wildlife, and spent her retirement years doing so, actively supporting the Friends' educational projects, getting the visitors' center at the Refuge and money for rennovations, and working to support the Refuge. She was a great friend to to wildlife, and she will be missed! A Memorial for Betty was held December 19, 2011. In lieu of flowers, donations are encouraged to the heart association, the American cancer society or any charity of your choice. Read About Betty

January 2012 Bosque Watch Newsletter available for download along with all other issues and Habitat! Click Newsletters

Bird Counts direct from the Refuge biologist are posted weekly from mid or late November to mid February. Please see Current Bird Counts Also, please check our Cornell Lab of Ornithology eBird Trail Tracker on our website to see which birds which are here at the Refuge, and
see our Seasonal Birding and Bird Checklists for each season at the Bosque A Refuge for All Seasons

The recipient of the 2011 Martha Hatch Award is Tom Sizemore. "This Award is given to the person who best exhibits the characteristics of an ideal volunteer and who has made outstanding volunteer contributions to the Friends and the Refuge. The Award is named after Martha Hatch, who was the Friends first newsletter editor, and who gave 6 years of dedicated service in that capacity."

The Festival of the Cranes was great again this year! People were thrilled with the schedule of events and the two keynote speakers. Check with our web site, Festival of the Cranes.com for everything about the Festival, and our Festival blog for news on workshops, tours and more!

New Bicycle Routes are for the Birds - read more about it! here and in the new Habitat!

All Festival of the Cranes T-Shirts, Sweatshirts, collector mug and collector pin are still available for sale in our Bosque Nature Store where you can pay securely with your credit card through PayPal

Our Refuge, our birdwatchers Made History! The American Ornithologists’ Union (AOU) which is the body responsible for English bird names and scientific nomenclature, has recognized a recent series of spectacular sightings made by birdwatchers. It added seven birds to the roster of species known to occur in the United States. The Sighting of the Sungrebe which was photographed at Bosque del Apache NWR, New Mexico, in 2008 during the Festival of the Cranes, has changed the raised the number of birds recognized in North America entirely! See A new look at the family tree an article in Birdwatching Daily.

Click here for archive info on our Festival Blog about the sighting 2008 Festival of the Cranes image © JROLDENETTEL

Please shop the Bosque Nature Store Online! All your purchases benefit the Friends and our great projects! Tshirts, denim shirts, caps, books and more!!

Please tell the US Fish and Wildlife Service that you strongly support the Middle Rio Grande National Wildlife Refuge...see more..Middle Rio Grande National Wildlife Refuge Support pdf file
You can e-mail your support to urbanrefugeAbq@fws.gov

The Live Refuge Camera is operating camera.friendsofthebosque.org and was donated in honor of Harvey Furgatch. This camera will be rotating and capturing images of the display pond and the Flight Deck pond later in the fall when those areas are interesting.

MORE NEWS....Continued... Please see What's new for complete Refuge News and Friends' News.....

Also, See Current Bird Counts & Checklists