Second annual Spring Migration Celebration set for May 4, 5

Alex Harper | El Defensor Chieftain
The Western Tanger can be spotted at the Bosque del Apache.

Bosque del Apache Refuge is hosting their second annual Spring Migration Celebration May 4 and 5, with birding workshops, a desert arboretum stroll, youth birding adventures and food vendors.

“We’re hoping to have the same people back and hoping to meet some new faces,” Julie-Anna Blomquist, event manager for Friends of the Bosque del Apache, said, “We are going to celebrate the return of mostly seed birds, so smaller birds that will be coming through.”

This time of year, folks can expect to see a variety of birds including black-necked stilts, black-chinned hummingbirds, yellow warblers, great egrets, white-faced ibis, Swainson’s hawks, vermilion flycatchers, Bullock’s orioles and more.

“This is mostly purely a birding event. People will be welcome to bring cameras to take pictures,” Blomquist said. “We will have food vendors, The Wandering Scorpion and Red Wagon Coffee Co.”

Workshops include Migration Magic, Learning the Language of Birds, Celebration Songbirds, Every bird Counts, Birding 101, Birding Behavior, youth workshops and an evening birding workshop.

Blomquist said that experienced and passionate birding instructors, Holly Merker and Alex Harper, will be returning again this year to give the workshops.

Most of the workshops will be caravan style, where participants drive to different locations and walk around with their guide.

She recommends bringing comfortable shoes, clothing and water.

The kids’ workshops will run concurrently by age groups; they are asking that the younger group be accompanied by an adult.

Three free events include keynote speaker, Gina Dello Russo, a local advocate for the Rio Grande, the Friends of the Bosque annual meeting and desert arboretum stroll.
Blomquist said some of the workshops are filling up quickly and recommends signing up as soon as possible.

For workshop information and registration please visit: https://friendsofbosquedelapachetickets.org/