April 10, 1974 Brazos de Apache Natl. Wildlife Refuge near Socorro N.M. We vacated our quarters in La Cueva (Puerta del Sol, 555 Bridge Ave., Apt. E-1) and set out up the Rio Grande to the refuge at El Antonio, just down river from Socorro. This is the area that Dad and I used to hunt in the early 1920's. The FWS has bought-up about 10 miles of river bottom. Much of it is in thick cottonwood tule timber and is well populated with mule deer. We saw one grazing fine. Low swales and old ox-bows are diked to hold shallow ponds, some very large (50 & 100 acres). Better drained sites are farmed in alfalfa and grain for the geese and cranes. According to the refuge personnel the cranes and geese left some weeks ago. The whooping cranes were already gone when we reached La Cueva March 3 (Sandy Selernity phoned.) In one alfalfa field we saw 4 pairs of sandhurs (do they nest here?) and elsewhere a couple of singles, surely left over cripples. On our cruise we saw perhaps 1000 ducks, most numerous being shovelers, gadwalls, cinnamon and green-winged teal, and mallards. Blimped a few New Mexico ducks at a distance, and later saw a dozen or so more in a flooded pasture toward Socorro. Scattered individuals of the following: blue-winged teal, ring-neck, redhead, lesser scaup, ridgson. A big flock of yellow-headed blackbirds, along with red-wings. There have been some tremendous fires in the bosque, giving rise to dog-hair thickets of cottonwood and willow - not particularly attractive except perhaps to deer. Went to a motel in Socorro for the night.