Sandhill Cranes before sunrise "fly-out" |
We did the 9-10 hour drive in one day, and stayed at the very nice Holiday Inn Express in Socorro - their pool and spa did not go unused! Birdwatchers' favorite Casa Blanca B&B was booked up for the weekend, but we'll try to stay there another time with the hope of meeting the assistant innkeeper, Phil Norton, a former manager of Bosque del Apache NWR.
Sandhill Cranes |
Snow Geese taking off |
Antennas at the NRAO Very Large Array |
Crissal Thrasher |
Back at the visitor center, we enjoyed the Quail Habitat, which includes feeders, a tiny pond sourced by water flowing over a big rock. At this mini refuge we saw two birds which were new to us. The Pyrrhuloxia was a little shy about being photographed, but the uncommon Crissal Thrasher ate and drank heartily without much concern for us.
On the way home Monday we took our time and explored a few new places. First, we tried to visit the Ladd S. Gordon Waterfowl Complex area in Bernardo but it was closed for hunting that morning! Our next stop was Petroglyphs National Monument near Albuquerque, where we met yet another Park Service volunteer (and fellow birder) who had enjoyed living in her RV full time in order to volunteer. We checked out all the little petroglyph packed trails around Boca Negra Canyon then headed down to do the 2+ mile walk along Rinconada Canyon. Afterward we visited the nearby Rio Grande Nature Center, which we agreed would make a great stop for anybody passing through the area. In addition to interesting displays, an indoor viewing area of the pond included comfy couches and a fine library of nature books.
It was nearing dusk and we'd only managed to cover 80 miles so we decided to save Santa Fe for another time and push on to Las Vegas. A surprise snowstorm just past Santa Fe slowed us down, but fortunately only lasted for 20 miles. I've been through the original Las Vegas a number of times, but never got past the interstate stops to appreciate the town. After noticing Las Vegas in our 1000 Places to See book, we decided to look a little closer. The town square is very quaint, although it still has room to "be discovered." Most Saturdays a tour of Montezuma Castle is available. And for us the best part was dinner at El Fidel, a "seasonal gourmet restaurant," that considerably exceeded our expectations.
Tuesday morning, our last stop at the Las Vegas NWR didn't offer many birds, but the visitor center was first rate. At the administrator's suggestion, we hiked the 3/4 mile Gallinas Nature Trail Walk. This is a sweet little hike into a box canyon with seeps at the base. If you decide to try it, be sure to check into the visitor center and get a permit and code to unlock the gate.
This was a very successful birding trip for us -- we saw 54 unique species, 22 of which were new to us (marked with a *). Species list: American Coot, American Crow, American Kestrel, American Wigeon*, Bewick's Wren, Black Phoebe*, Black-throated Sparrow, Bufflehead*, Canada Goose, Canyon Wren, Cassin's Finch, Chihuahuan Raven*, Chipping Sparrow, Common Merganser, Crissal Thrasher*, Dark-eyed Junco - Gray-headed, Dark-eyed Junco - Oregon, Downy Woodpecker, Gadwall*, Gambel's Quail*, Gray Jay, Great Blue Heron, Greater Roadrunner, Greater Sandhill Crane, Green-winged Teal, House Finch, Lesser Sandhill Crane, Lesser Scaup, Long-billed Dowitcher*, Mallard, Mourning Dove, North American Bald Eagle, Northern Flicker, Northern Harrier, Northern Pintail*, Northern Shoveler*, Pied-billed Grebe*, Pyrrhuloxia*, Raven, Red-Tailed Hawk, Red-winged Blackbird, Ring-necked Duck, Rock Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet*, Say's Phoebe*, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Snow Goose*, Song Sparrow, Spotted Towhee*, Western Meadowlark, Western Scrub-jay*, White Breasted Nuthatch*, White-crowned Sparrow*, Wood Duck*
Click here for more images from this trip.
Here's a map of the places we visited in New Mexico on this trip.
View Bosque del Apache area in a larger map
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