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Cranes at Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, October to December

Sandhill Cranes in New Mexico: Where and When to See Them

3 viewing sites, the months their managers name, and today’s sunrise and sunset at each.

Oct to Jan
Months at the sites
as the site managers print them
3
Viewing sites
3 on the map
353
Reports, last 12 months
iNaturalist research grade
Winter and passing through

How sandhill cranes use New Mexico

Sandhill cranes are a winter visitor – typically from late October through late January.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, read October 8, 2026. Read it at the source

One subspecies is named in these sources: the lesser sandhill crane.

Where to go

3 places to see sandhill cranes in New Mexico

Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, national wildlife refuge, San Antonio

Cranes Nov to Jan
The refuge is well known for the tens of thousands of cranes, geese, and ducks who winter here each year.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, read October 8, 2026. Read it at the source
When
“you will find the greatest numbers of birds at the refuge from early November to late January.”
Where to stand
“Check the sunrise time and stop in our visitor center to learn the most recent roosting and feeding sites, as they can change through the winter.”
Time of day
“Near dawn, the geese take off in a group in search of fields throughout the Middle Rio Grande Valley to feed in for the day. Smaller groups of sandhill cranes then leave the safety of the water for the same reason.”
Also
“According to surveys conducted in December and January, the refuge hosted upwards of 6,500 overwintering cranes during the 2022-2023 winter.” Source
Before you go
“Starting around September 29, 2026, construction work will begin on water control infrastructure around the Tour Loop. Road closures may be necessary for visitor and staff safety.” Refuge notice
Festival
Festival of the Cranes, December 2 to 5, 2026. Organizer’s page

October 8, 2026 at this site, MDT

Sunrise
7:07 AM
Sunset
6:42 PM

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, read October 8, 2026

Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, national wildlife refuge, Roswell

Cranes Oct to Dec
Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge is truly an unique gem situated on the cusp between the northern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert and the southwestern corner of the Great Plains, attracting more than 26,000 lesser sandhill cranes
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, read October 8, 2026. Read it at the source
When
“The sandhill cranes start migrating and showing up at the refuge in October and continue through December, with the peak around Thanksgiving.”

October 8, 2026 at this site, MDT

Sunrise
6:57 AM
Sunset
6:33 PM

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, read October 8, 2026

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On the map

New Mexico crane sites by month

Style
Layers

1 of the 3 mapped sites name October. A pin is colored only when the refuge or agency that runs it prints that month. The shaded grid is where people have logged a verified sandhill crane on iNaturalist in October, in any year, brighter where more have been logged; it maps reports, so it thickens where observers stand.

Festivals

Sandhill crane festival in New Mexico

  • December 2 to 5, 2026

    Festival of the Cranes

    Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge

    As the organizer prints it: “December 2–5, 2026”

Through the year

When people report sandhill cranes in New Mexico

More reports come in November than in any other month. The tally runs from October 8, 2025 for the twelve month figure; the bars combine every year on record.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
2,256 research grade records from New Mexico, every year combined, by the month they were made. Most are logged in November. A record is a person’s photograph confirmed by others, so the bars count sightings rather than birds.

353 research grade sandhill crane reports from New Mexico in the twelve months to October 8, 2026.

Reading the last thirty days of reports from iNaturalist.

The rules

Sandhill crane regulations in New Mexico

New Mexico holds a sandhill crane hunting season.

The New Mexico Department of Wildlife is still accepting applications until 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12, for special Sandhill crane and pheasant permits.
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, read October 8, 2026. Read it at the source
Each eastern sandhill crane hunter must possess the appropriate license(s) (page 6), plus an Eastern Sandhill Crane Hunting Permit (free).
From the same source, read October 8, 2026. Read it at the source

Waterfowl and crane season dates in this state

New Mexico sandhill crane questions

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Sandhill cranes in other states

Sandhill cranes in every stateThe map of where the cranes are this month, the gatherings and the festivals.Fall migration in New MexicoThe geese, swans and cranes staging this fall, site by site.Duck migration reportThe waterfowl counts the refuges publish each week.
About seventy grey sandhill cranes standing in shallow open water and on a strip of tan grass in front of a green tree line
Cranes standing in shallow water in October, the habitat every site on these pages shares. The water keeps them safe overnight; the harvested fields around it feed them through the day. “Flock of wading sandhill cranes”, USFWS Pacific Southwest Region, Public domain

Every fact about New Mexico’s cranes links to the refuge, agency or festival page it comes from, each read October 8, 2026. Tour loops, platforms and festival programs change between seasons and close for weather and work, so check the site’s own page before you drive. Sunrise and sunset are computed for each site’s coordinates. Report tallies are iNaturalist research grade records, which count sightings, not birds. Every state is on the sandhill crane migration hub.