SOUTHEAST ARIZONA AND BOSQUE DEL APACHE
November 23-29, 2009
During this workshop participants will learn the techniques to make great images of
both songbirds and waterbirds.  An emphasis will be placed on learning how to
photograph birds in flight at Bosque and Whitewater Draw.  In addition to learning a
great deal participants should take home a lot of wonderful images from this workshop.

Participants can attend the Southeast Arizona portion November 23-26, the Bosque del
Apache portion November 26-29 or both.  

November 23-26, 2009 Southeast Arizona - During this portion of the workshop we will
photograph from blinds at water drips in Green Valley and Madera Canyon, Arizona.  
This portion will allow participants to get close up images of a variety of songbirds
including cardinal, pyrrhuloxia, gambel's quail, thrashers, woodpeckers and many
others.  We will also photograph water birds and raptors at Whitewater Draw Wildlife
Area and Sweetwater Wetlands.  Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area attracts around 20,000
Sandhill Cranes and many Snow Geese and raptors each winter.  Nate will give
presentations on exposure and use of fill flash during this workshop.

November 26-29, 2009 Bosque del Apache - We will photograph Sandhill Cranes, Snow
and Ross's Geese and other waterfowl at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge,
one of the premier bird photography and waterfowl wintering grounds in North
America.  Nate will give instruction on handholding long lenses and attaining great
flight images.  Most of the images in the Bosque gallery were shot handheld by Nate
and Angie.

Fees:  If either of the workshops are taken individually the fee is $950, if both
workshops are taken the total fee for the 2 workshops is $1,700.  The fee includes
lodging, workshop instruction and property use fees.  It does not include meals or
transportation.  The fees are based on double occupancy, the fee for a single
supplement is $100, per workshop.  If a nonphotographer spouse/companion would
like to come along on the workshop the fee is only $150 for the nonphotographer, this
includes lodging.  A $300 deposit is required to hold your spot for the workshop.  
Please email Nate at
nchappell@trogontours.net and he will send you the signup sheet.

Number of participants:  Maximum of 5

Equipment needed:  At times you will be quite close to the birds, however the minimum
size lens that you would want to have would be 300mm.  We have one Nikon and one
Canon lens available to be lent out to tour participants.

Itinerary:
November 23, 2009  - We will meet at the Green Valley Holiday Inn for carpooling to our
first site, Bill Forbes's property near Amado, AZ in the desert.  Bill's site has a waterhole
and feeding station that attracts many birds and some mammals.  We will shoot from
blinds there for the afternoon, returning to the Green Valley Holiday Inn in the evening.

November 24, 2009 - In the morning we will drive to Sweetwater Wetlands in Tucson.  
Sweetwater Wetlands is an excellent waterbird site with many wintering ducks and
other waterbirds.  Rails are a possibility here.  Harris's Hawks are resident in the area
and can usually be seen and photographed.  In the afternoon we will photograph from
blinds in Madera Canyon.  It's excellent for Arizona and Acorn Woodpeckers, juncos,
Bridled Titmouse, Mexican Jay and others.  Hotel:  Green Valley Holiday Inn

November 25, 2009 - In the morning we are back at Bill Forbes property.  In addition to
the numerous songbirds and quail, a Cooper's Hawk will usually make a raid on the
feeding stations a couple of times a day in the winter.  Often they will stay and
sometimes take a bath in the waterhole.  After lunch we will drive to Whitewater Draw
Wildlife Area to photograph the wintering cranes, geese and raptors.  We will spend our
evening in the historic town of Tombstone, AZ.  Hotel: Best Western, Tombstone, AZ.

November 26, 2009 - We will spend the morning shooting at Whitewater Draw Wildlife
Area.  In addition to the waterbirds and raptors, it's a good spot for owls and Vermilion
Flycatcher.  After this morning session the SE Arizona portion of the workshop is over.

After lunch we will drive to Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico.
We will spend the afternoon photographing the cranes and geese at the refuge.  
Following that we will have our Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant in Socorro.  Hotel:  
Best Western, Socorro, NM.

November 27 and 28, 2009 - We will spend both of these days photographing the birds
of Bosque Del Apache.  The thousands of wintering cranes and geese, along with often
spectacular lighting combine to make this one of the premier bird photography sites in
North America.  There are usually quite a few wintering raptors on the refuge as well.  
Nate will instruct on handholding  your lens to create beautiful flight shots.  Hotel:  Best
Western, Socorro, NM.

November 29, 2009 - One more morning photographing the cranes and geese at the
refuge to end the workshop.

Transportation:  You will need your own car, however we will carpool as much as
possible locally when photographing at the sites.  If flying into the area for the SE
Arizona portion Tucson would be your closest airport, for Bosque it is Albuquerque,
NM.

If you have any questions feel free to email Nate at
nchappell@trogontours.net or call
him at 253-512-1060.