New Mexico 2004 Trip Report

November 14-20, 2004

(To download the species list for this trip in PDF format, click here.)

The Rio Grande Nature Center in Albuquerque is always a good place to begin experiencing the natural history of New Mexico.  Nestled in a large grove of Fremont Cottonwoods along the Rio Grande River (this habitat is known locally as “the bosque”) the site offers multiple bird feeders, gardens, and three artificial ponds.  We got off to an excellent start with looks at three races of Dark-eyed Juncos, numerous White-crowned Sparrows, and three Greater Roadrunners.  Tara spotted our staked-out immature Harris’s Sparrow, and an impromptu guided walk to a normally closed area with Nature Center volunteers yielded the first of many Sandhill Cranes, Say’s Phoebes, and Western Meadowlarks.  The ponds offered a good variety of waterfowl, including scores of cooperative Wood Ducks and a flock of 100+ Cackling Geese.  From there we headed up to the snowy Sandia Mountains, climbing to over 10,000 feet to the summit.  From the comfort of the warm gift shop/deli there we got great views of a Steller’s Jay, Mountain Chickadees, Black Rosy-Finches, and Brown-capped Rosy Finches at point-blank range.

The next day we were off to Bosque Del Apache, one of the gems of the National Wildlife Refuge system.  The entire day was spent here exploring the numerous impoundments, scrub, and cottonwood groves.  We had nice looks at locally scarce Greater White-fronted Geese, 3 American Avocets, and Black Phoebe.  The number of dabbling ducks was impressive, with thousands of Northern Pintails and Northern Shovelers leading the way.  We stayed until dusk to witness the enormous flocks of Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese that spend each night in the refuge.  The sights and sounds of bugling cranes and honking geese are almost deafening as the birds land in front of you.  Estimates were of 8,000 cranes and 15,000 geese.  On our way out a Great Horned Owl was visible perched atop a roadside snag.

It was back to Bosque Del Apache the next morning at dawn to watch the geese and cranes leave for the day.  They disperse widely to agricultural fields in the valley to feed, preferring the wet impoundments as a safe roost from coyotes and other predators.  Among the thousands of Snow Geese we could pick out scores of diminutive Ross’s Geese with their short necks and tiny triangular bills.  The sounds of the birds as they leave added a wonderful auditory component to the visual experience.  After brunch in Socorro, we headed into Water Canyon in the Magdalena Mountains.  In the Pinyon-Juniper foothills we spied several flocks of beautiful Western Bluebirds and managed to find three stunning male Mountain Bluebirds with them.  We leapfrogged up the road birding as we went.  A memorable sight followed when we enjoyed two Acorn Woodpeckers and three Band-tailed Pigeons all visible at once in the scopes.  The weather was overcast and damp, but it probably enhanced the wonderful smells of Pinyon trees and Ponderosa Pines (they smell like vanilla) that were all around us.  Sweeping clouds boiled over the nearby snow-covered peaks as we encountered flocks of Bushtits and Pygmy Nuthatches along with our first Red-naped Sapsucker.  The blanket of colorful lichens on rock faces added beauty to the scene and was a silent testimony to the quality of the air.

From Socorro we traveled south to Elephant Butte Lake, the largest in New Mexico.  After a brief stop in the desert for Sage Sparrows we headed to the Paseo Del Rio section of the park to bird in some riparian habitat along the Rio Grande.  Flip quickly spotted the elusive Crissal Thrasher “teed up” in a bush and most of us we able to get a scope look before it disappeared into the scrub.  It was our first day of the tour with abundant sunshine, and everyone enjoyed it, including the wildlife.  A Curve-billed Thrasher seemed oblivious to our watching it preen and bask in the sun while a Mourning Cloak worked the wells of a nearby Red-naped Sapsucker.  Two Cactus Wrens called from a patch of hillside Cholla and made us marvel at how they avoid all those spines.  This park always seems to hold a surprise and this year’s was an unexpected Lark Bunting that Dale spotted.  After eating like recently released prisoners (well, some of us anyway!) at a buffet in Elephant Butte, we headed to the lake.  With desert mountains in the background we were treated to the sights and sounds of thousands of large grebes, predominantly Western Grebes with many Clark’s Grebes mixed in for comparison.  Clumps of American White Pelicans drifted around searching for food, thousands of American Coots filled the coves, and several Rock Wrens bobbed up and down along the craggy shoreline of the lake.

Our next morning was spent exploring Percha Dam State Park with its large stands of cottonwoods, many laden with balls of mistletoe.  Phainopeplas seem to have a particular affinity to them and we observed several birds through the scopes, including a preening female.  Out of range here was an Eastern Phoebe that along with numerous Say’s and a few Blacks gave us a Phoebe trifecta for the day.  Some tall stands of weeds proved to be a good place for foraging finches and sparrows that included up close looks at Lincoln’s Sparrow, Pine Siskins, and Lesser Goldfinches.  Afternoon found us working the Arizona Sycamore groves along Las Animas Creek in search of Bridled Titmouse.  We heard the titmouse but couldn’t coax any into view.  However, David’s persistence in scanning every tree cavity finally paid off with a gorgeous Western Screech-Owl.  Everyone had great looks while the bird gave us the “heavy eye treatment” and seemed oblivious to all our noise and commotion.

Right outside the hotel’s doors in T or C the desert beckoned.  Walking around through the cacti and creosote in the early morning we saw one of the trip’s most celebrated “designer birds”—the Black-throated Sparrow.  A quick stop back at Elephant Butte Reservoir was next to have another look at all those Western/Clark’s Grebes. We added a Common Loon and Red-breasted Merganser here for the trip—more familiar species for all us sea-level folks.  The Rock Canyon area at the lake was hopping with birds including Red-naped Sapsucker, two Crissal Thrashers chasing each other around, and two Sage Thrashers that gave only brief views (my vote for “boo-bird” of the tour).  In the afternoon it was back to Bosque for a proper sunset there—one without overcast skies!  Everyone was finally able to experience “the light” that is so spectacular there.  Who could tire of the sights and sounds of tens of thousands of geese and cranes?  The adult Bald Eagle perched atop a dead tree, flyover Cattle Egrets, Wilson’s Snipe, and 80 Yellow-headed Blackbirds weren’t bad either!

Our last day of the tour was spent along the snowy road to Sandia Crest.  At Doc Long picnic area everyone had good looks at Abert’s Squirrels, with their black fur and white-striped tails.  Some of the group got a look at four Cassin’s Finches and some Pygmy Nuthatches.  A Townsend’s Solitaire was singing from atop a pine.  Without a doubt the day’s highlight was a Northern Pygmy-Owl that responded to my whistling.  The bird called, then flew by us like a bullet, and finally perched obligingly in a pine for several minutes.  If we didn’t see another bird that day it would still have been great.  More goodies awaited us at the summit, however.  Perhaps the icing on the cake was getting our third species of Rosy-Finch, the “Hepburn’s” race of Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch at the feeders.  We stopped at a few places on our descent, enjoying the various habitats present at different elevations and ran into a nice flock of Mountain Chickadees and Red-breasted Nuthatches.  The clouds even broke at a few places, giving us glimpses of the valley below.  As we were heading back to Albuquerque, Adam spotted a flock of 80 Pinyon Jays as they flew across the road—a great way to end our birding in beautiful New Mexico.

-Scott Barnes

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