Festival of the Cranes

Join us for the Bosque del Apache Festival of the Cranes as we come together in celebration of the return of the sandhill cranes to their winter home. Rated among the top wildlife, birding, and photography events in North America, this nationally recognized festival offers about 85 to 90 events/classes over five days. Regardless of your birding or photography skill, the Festival of Cranes offers an extraordinary opportunity for premiere photography and birding classes, as well as guided tours and hikes with world-renowned photographers and expert birders. Whatever your interests, Festival of the Cranes has something for you.

Bosque del Apache NWR offers expansive vistas, exquisite light, enchanting bird songs, and the unique proximity of wildlife. Avid birders and photographers from around the world flock to the festival to view the spectacular sights of Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese. While Bosque del Apache is known for sandhill cranes and snow geese, they are certainly not all you’ll see at the refuge. Come for the ducks, raptors (including bald eagles), iconic roadrunners, and much, much more!

Annual Photo Contest

Each year the Friends of Bosque del Apache host an art and a photo contest. The Art Contest calls for Sandhill Crane artwork in any medium: paintings, digital, printmaking, mixed media, two- or three-dimensional art, photography, as well as any other. Photographs can be unaltered originals or edited. Friends of Bosque del Apache also offer a free Expo booth or table during the festival, where the featured artist of the year can sell her/his artwork, from postcards to originals. Official rules and art submissions are available at our website.

The Annual Photo contest consists of these four categories: Sandhill cranes, Wildlife, People, and Landscapes.  Winning photos will be displayed at the Bosque del Apache Visitor Center atrium prior to and through the Festival of the Cranes and throughout the year until the next winners from the Photo Contest are selected.  Official rules and photo submissions are available at our website.