DEC. 3RD – 8TH, 2025
Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge
Artistry, Birds and Creativity in New Mexico
Southern New Mexico may conjure up a variety of visions — golden hues on a palette of brown tones, cactus plants dotted across a sandy landscape and seas of migrating birds, all encased by the unique warm tones of a winter desert atmosphere. They all represent exactly what visitors find at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, an oasis in the desert.
New Mexico, known as the Land of Enchantment for its scenic beauty and rich history, is an undiscovered gem for photographers, who can explore millions of acres of public land in the state. It is the 5th largest state in the U.S. yet is only the 36th most populated. There are nine national wildlife refuges — with two having large portions designated as wilderness, including Bosque — in New Mexico, plus 19 national park units, including two national parks, 35 state parks, five national forests and one national grassland, preserving about 45% or more than 23 million acres of the state into public lands. There is truly an endless supply of open space to explore.
Albuquerque, the state’s largest city, is located in the central portion of New Mexico along U.S. Interstate 25. Santa Fe, located in the norther portion of the state, is the capital of New Mexico and the oldest state capital in the U.S. Albuquerque is an easy city to fly in and out of any time of year. Our group will be based out of Socorro, New Mexico, about an hour south of Albuquerque along U.S. Interstate 25. This small community of about 8,300 people offers comfortable hotels, restaurants and even a few attractions, including an historic mission and one a premier astronomical array of 27 radio antennas.
Our trip will be at the end of fall during the peak of the season for wintering birds. The weather can be cool in the mornings, often dipping to freezing or lower at night yet rise to the mid 50s by midday under warm, dry sunshine. The trip also coincides with the full moon to add another aspect to the photography goals for the week. Our small group of six women are sure to be eager to photograph birds — cold or no cold — that find this land of wetland habitat and warmer weather a wonderful location to spend the winter months from their homes in the arctic tundra and Canadian forests. We will look for the common birds of the winter season, including sandhill cranes, Ross’s geese, snow geese, northern pintail, American wigeons, American coots, hooded mergansers and many others. A variety of resident birds will make fine subjects as well, including Gambel’s quail, great horned owls, mallards and other species.
When not searching and waiting for birds, we will also look for mammals of Bosque del Apache. These include mule deer, javelinas, bobcats and coyotes
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Any animal spotted in Bosque del Apache makes a stunning photograph when set against the warm tones of the winter desert landscape.
The trip is timed to align with the arrival of winter birds, which peaks between mid-November and late January. Although this time of year is cool for the desert southwest, with average temperatures ranging from 53 degrees to 22 degrees Fahrenheit and minimal precipitation, it is when the birds of winter, especially sandhill cranes and snow geese, take advantage of better weather than in their summer range and the fields of corn cultivated specifically for the birds. Days are short in the winter, with sunrise arriving about 7:00 a.m. and sunset happening at 5:00 p.m.
The six-day, five-night photo tour will take photographers to some of the best locations in the refuge, including the ponds for sunrise to experience the unique blastoff of snow geese at sunrise and pools at sunset to photograph sandhill cranes floating into their evening roosts against the colorful sky of sunset. We will also venture to other nearby locations for bird photography to capture different scenery and behaviors.
The photo tour will also include guidance and time for getting creative. We will play with different advanced techniques in nature photography, including intentional camera movement, high key, panning, blurs, silhouettes and much more.
This workshop is sure to instill in you a love for the diverse bird life of southern New Mexico and the beauty of winter wildlife photography.
About Your Leader….
Dawn Wilson is a professional and award-winning nature photographer specializing in images and stories about wildlife of high latitudes and high altitudes of the Rocky Mountains and Alaska. With more than 600 bylined articles and photo credits, Dawn’s text and photography has appeared in numerous regional and national publications, including Colorado Life, Colorado Outdoors, Wyoming Wildlife, Outdoor Photographer, MotorHome magazine, Nature’s Best Photography, and many others. In addition to her editorial work, Dawn leads multiple workshops each year in North and South America to photograph wildlife, such as brown bears in Alaska and birds of Louisiana. She also leads photo tours in Rocky Mountain National Park. She served two terms as President of the North American Nature Photography Association and has been the co-host of The Nature Photographer Podcast. Learn more at dawnwilsonphotography.com.
5 Participants
$2,800
$200 single supplement
Final payment due Sept. 1st, 2025
DEC. 3RD – 8TH, 2025
Wednesday, December 3, 2025 (Day One): Pick-up/arrive in Albuquerque and drive to Socorro
- Dawn, who will already be in New Mexico, will meet the group at the airport to pick up luggage and take everyone to our lodging in Socorro.
- We will start the photo tour by meeting at 1 p.m. on Wednesday in Albuquerque to drive to Socorro one hour south of Albuquerque.
- We will have dinner at Sofia’s Kitchen near our hotel at 6 p.m.
Thursday, December 4 (Day Two): Full Day in Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge
- Thursday morning will start with a sunrise shoot at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge to capture the full moon setting over the Chupadera Mountains along with birds in flight.
- After sunrise, we will explore the refuge on the various open loops to look for birds and wildlife. Possibilities include sandhill cranes, snow geese, wide variety of waterfowl, bobcats, wild turkeys, javelinas, skunks and more. We will be out until midday when we will stop for lunch at The Owl Bar and Cafe in San Antonio.
- After lunch, we will head back into the refuge to continue looking for birds and wildlife.
- During this afternoon, we will take time to look for javelinas along the river before heading to a pond for sunset.
- After shooting, we will head back to Socorro for dinner at Box Canyon Brewing Company near our hotel.
Friday, December 5 (Day Three): Full Day in Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge
- Friday morning will start with a sunrise shoot at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge to capture the full moon setting over the Chupadera Mountains and in the morning light along with birds in flight at ponds.
- After sunrise, we will drive the loop roads to look for birds and mammals.
- We will have lunch at The Owl Bar and Café in San Antonio before returning to the field for photography.
- After lunch, we will head back into the refuge to continue looking for birds and mammals. We will continue on the open loops, covering any that we have not yet explored. We will also work on opportunities to photograph in high-key situations.
- About an hour before sunset, we will head towards the ponds to capture cranes coming in to roost for the night. This will be an opportunity to work on silhouette photography.
- After shooting, we will head back to Socorro for dinner at El Camino near our hotel.
Saturday, December 6 (Day Four): Sunrise and Birding in Bosque; Sunset in Bernardo WMA
- Saturday morning will start with a sunrise shoot at the flight deck to catch the snow geese take off. We will work on panning, blurred photos and silhouettes at sunrise.
- After the sunrise shoot, we will head into the refuge to look for wildlife along the loops.
- We will have lunch at The Owl Bar and Café before heading out to Bernardo Waterfowl Management Area for the afternoon, including sunset.
- After the afternoon and sunset shoot, we will head back to Socorro for dinner at Journey’s Place.
Sunday, December 7 (Day Five): Sunrise and Birding in Bosque
- Sunday morning will start with a return to the flight deck for sunrise to catch the snow geese blast off. We will work on panning, blurred photos and silhouettes at sunrise as well as wildlife
- After the sunrise shoot, we will head into the refuge to look for wildlife along the loops.
- We will have lunch at The Owl Bar and Café before heading back into the refuge, working on some creative landscapes before heading to the ponds for sunset with the cranes.
- After the afternoon and sunset shoot, we will head back to Socorro for dinner at the group’s choice.
Monday, December 8 (Day Six): Sunrise and Birding in Bosque
- We will check out of the hotel Monday morning before heading to Bosque for sunrise. We will photograph at the group’s choice for sunrise to fill in or repeat any potential missed shots.
- We will then head to the visitor center to photograph birds at the feeders.
- After the morning shoot, we will head north to Socorro for lunch.
- After lunch, we will return to Albuquerque, stopping at Tingley Lagoon for photographing ducks, including wood ducks.
- Dawn will drop off participants either at their hotel in Albuquerque or the airport
Note: Although this itinerary lays out an ideal description for each day, weather, bird activity, wildlife sightings, road closures and other uncontrollable circumstances may change the listed activities and destinations.
- Accommodations for the entirety of the workshop
- All ground transportation
- Expert photography instruction day 1-8
- Camaraderie with other women photographers
- Flights to and from Albuquerque, New Mexico
- All meals
- Gratuities
- Trip insurance
There is minimal hiking but abundant walking on flat surfaces on roadsides and boardwalks on this trip. Most photo locations on this trip will be roadside and near the vehicle. There are two boardwalk trails we will explore and some walking near the ponds and flight deck. Elevation gain is minimal, with most of this trip happening at about 4600 feet of elevation.