Quick trip to the Chiricahuas and Southeast Arizona fronterra - Day 2 - February 14, 2015

After a rough night of sleep in Herb Martyr canyon, I awoke to a windy pre-dawn morning. I had slept in a make-shift roadside camp up the canyon after finding all of the Cave Creek campgrounds closed from the September, 2014 floods that ravaged the canyon bottom below the south fork of Cave Creek. In the morning's light I witnessed the damage for the first time. A wide flood path had covered the old creek bed and the shores of the creek with cobble and stone up to 1m in diameter. The creek was flowing with a larger flow than I'd ever seen, the result of snowmelt and winter rains. Cave Creek was never much of a riparian floodplain kind of river, but any thickets of willow and riparian vegetation were now buried under a foot of rock. Sycamores and the river-bottom growing Ponderosa pines and Arizona Cypress seemed to survive alright, with only a few juvenile stems toppled during the torrent.

Cave Creek, Chiricahua Mountains, Cochise Co., AZ

I was able to pick up some easy year-birds from the car on the way to back out of the portal, Mexican Jays and Bridled Titmouse were conspicuous enough even to be heard over the river from the open window of my car. Birders must be the most spartan drivers, even on a 30F morning, the windows in a place like Cave Creek must be kept down - you never know when a Pygmy owl chorus might just waft in. A group of juncos with their white-bordered tails flashed across the road, turning out to be my first Yellow-eyed Juncos of the trip and year. I had missed this familiar sparrow over the fall and winter, their yellow eyes giving them a much more attitude look than their northern-breeding counterparts, the Dark-eyed junco. The foothill scrub area below the mouth of the canyon boasts amazing winter diversity, at least half a dozen Cactus Wrens called from the bush, with spotted and canyon towhees calling in stereo.

The mouth of Cave Creek Canyon, on the east slope of the Chiricahua Mountains, Cochise Co., AZ

The view of the land of opportunity from the streets of Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico

I didn't stop again until I was in Agua Prieta; Sonora, Mexico's bordertown with Douglas, Arizona. My quick visit to the Bajercito was the whole reason behind the trip, an easy cancellation of a temporary vehicle permit good for Sonora and expiring that day. Failure to officially cancel the permit would result in the risk of not being able to obtain a new permit in the future. The visit to what passes as a border-DMV (Banjercito) was fairly easy, with communications only breaking momentarily with a misunderstanding regarding cancellation versus renewal. After 30 minutes I was headed back for the border crossing into Douglas. The border fence in Agua Prieta is an imposing Berlin-wall style monstrosity, slated to allow one to see in, but standing 25 ft tall and capped with wire and video surveillance. For the presumably hundreds or even thousands of people who cross the border daily or weekly for business, pleasure, or family, it must be a bizarre symbol of the schism between the two sides. Crossing the border back into the US was an easy 5 minute process, with minutes I was back in the USA and heading for El Pato, an awesome burrito joint on J st. In the shop there was a sign of the border in Douglas circa 1910, one one side of the dusty road a shack reading 'US Customs' and on the other, the booth for Mexico's counterpart. People, kids, dogs, and horses seemed to roam from side to side of the street as they pleased, what a difference it is today.

El Otro lago, San Bernadino NWR, Cochise Co., AZ.

The marshes of San Bernadino NWR

Business done, I headed east out of Douglas on the Geronimo Trail, the border patrol highway to San Bernadino NWR. In the 20 miles it takes to reach the refuge's parking area, typically 3 or 4 border patrol trucks are passed and you drive under the watchful eye of at least 2 boom-camera trucks. This trip I parked at the Slaughter Ranch, a preserved 1880s rancho with a lush spring-fed pond immediatly adjacent to the refuge's hiking trails. For a 5$ entrance fee, you get a nice shady parking area and access to an absolute desert oasis. I tallied 35 species in a half-hour, ranging from Cardinals to American Widgeons. Inca Doves coo'd over the raucous calls of Gila Woodpeckers and incessant 'tpeek's of Ladder-backed Woodpeckers. I took the wooded Hackberry tree-lined trail to the refuge, hearing Audubon's Warblers from nearly every cottonwood and Marsh Wrens from every clump of cattails, a remarkable sound given the surrounding desert scrub's arid nature. I studied up on the call notes of Black Phoebes, Inca Doves, and Verdins, all birds I expect to hear and see a lot of this summer at the refuge. Stunning looks at Vermilion flycatcher, Cinnamon Teal, and lots of sparrows! Canyon and Green-tailed Towhees, Vesper, Savannah, Lincoln's, Song, Black-throated, Chipping, White-crowned, and Brewer's Sparrows were all present, remarkable diversity. Sparrows have become a favorite group of species as of late for me, they gave me such trouble when starting out, the feeling of mastery of these streaked and often subtlety different species is second to none.

Black-throated Sparrow, San Bernadino NWR, Cochise Co., AZ

An Audubon's Warbler (Yellow-rumped) peeks down at me, San Bernadino NWR, Cochise Co., AZ

The stunning jewel of the southwest, a Vermilion Flycatcher male, San Bernadino NWR, Cochise Co., AZ

Flock of American Wigeon returns to their water at Slaughter Ranch, Cochise Co., AZ

The second Yellow-rumped Warbler sub-species of the day, Myrtle Warbler, San Bernadino NWR, Cochise Co., AZ

Brewer's Sparrows at home in their mesquite brush, San Bernadino NWR, Cochise Co., AZ

Two species that were present during a visit during February of last year were missing, Green Heron and Redhead, but two new species; Dusky Flycatcher and a juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron made up for these misses. The Dusky flycatcher was acting as a typical Empidonax (Gnat Emperor), gray overall, with a yellow wash on the breast and belly, a short bill, and wing bars. Luckily the bird responded to playback of Dusky, after I placed it as either Dusky or Gray based on range and season. I'm always surprised how small empids are, these ID-puzzlers of the west. If the warblers are the gems of North America's birds, the Empids are certainly the puzzlers of the continent. A Crissal Thrasher sang it's sweet, rich mimid song, giving a nice comparrison to the huskier Curve-billed Thrasher. I later spotted the Crissal and it's red vents skulking beneath a Four-wing Saltbush. Blue-gray Gnatcatchers were foraging in the scrub, waiting for the seasons to change so they can proceed north and upwards in elevation for their breeding grounds in the mountains and foothills. Strange seeing these small neotropical birds in desert scrub, perfectly at home flitting in and out of cover. I ended up ticking off 42 species in 3 hours at the refuge, 52 species total for both the refuge and Slaughter Ranch.
Butterfly diversity was good for the day, with Western Pygmy Blues, Orange Sulphurs, Mourning Cloaks, an unidentified Frittilary and Checkerspot spp, Pipevine Swallowtail, and Cabbage White. American Bullfrogs jumped from every patch of water, and an as-of-yet unidentified Damselfly made the marsh really come alive.

A Marsh Wren scolds me away, San Bernadino NWR, Cochise Co., AZ

A beautiful Cinnamon Teal drake in one of the pools on the border, San Bernadino NWR, Cochise Co., AZ

American Bullfrog, San Bernadino NWR, Cochise Co., AZ

A Dusky Flycatcher, one of the ID-nightmares of the southwest in the winter, San Bernadino NWR, Cochise Co., AZ

A Black Phoebe stands boldly above the marsh, San Bernadino NWR, Cochise Co., AZ

One of the dozen-or-so Sparrow species of the day, Lincoln's Sparrow, San Bernadino NWR, Cochise Co., AZ

One of my first Odonates of the year, an unidentified Damselfly female, San Bernadino NWR, Cochise Co., AZ

Verdin, San Bernadino NWR, Cochise Co., AZ

Vesper Sparrow, San Bernadino NWR, Cochise Co., AZ

Western Pygmy Blue butterfly, the smallest butterfly species in the west, measuring less than the size of a dime, San Bernadino NWR, Cochise Co., AZ

American Wigeon drake at Slaughter Ranch, Cochise Co., AZ

Heading back into Douglas for gas and points north, I turned towards the great waterfowl resting area of Cochise County; Whitewater Draw Wildlife Management Area

Whitewater Draw Wildlife Management Area is a relatively small complex of managed wetlands and open water in the center of the Sulphur Springs Valley, north of Douglas by 20 miles. It's biggest draw, much like Bosque del Apache NWR in central New Mexico, is the wintering Sandhill Crane population, which here at WWD WMA can peak at over 20,000 cranes. While the Cranes make up the majority of the biomass within the complex, an additional 60+ species can be expected during the winter on any given day. The surrounding grassland, scrub, and agricultural lands are some of the best winter sparrow and raptor grounds in Arizona, with more than 15 species of sparrows possible.

A few of the 10,000+ Sandhill Cranes that call the Whitewater Draw WMA home during the winter months.

I found my first Lark Buntings of the year on the drive into the WMA, a nice group of about 20, with males just starting to show the tastes of their spring plumage, when they transform dramatically from streaky sparrows to crisp black-and-white tuxedo birds. Lark Buntings are an easy sparrow to ID, as their large, conical bills resemble more a Piranga (Tanagers & Cardinals) than a sparrow.

Eared Grebe, Whitewater Draw WMA, Cochise Co., AZ

Lark Bunting male, Whitewater Draw WMA, Cochise Co., AZ

Lark Buntings, Whitewater Draw WMA, Cochise Co., AZ

At the playa itself, Cranes were still present in large numbers, with an estimate of 10,000 still hanging around the area. A lone Eared Grebe was a highlight and a new Arizona life bird for me. Birding at Whitewater Draw is an experience unlike anywhere else in Arizona, and perhaps the rest of the southwest. Unlike Bosque del Apache NWR, Whitewater must be birded by foot (at least for the water birds, the surrounding area is rife with accesible county roads and raptor/sparrow birding). This birding by foot gives the area a relaxed feel, where the audioscape can be fully appreciated. It's always surprising to me that despite the racket that 10,000 Sandhill Cranes can make, many other species can be heared over the wooden-rattle din. Common Yellowthroats, a nice winter-warbler chipped away as they foraged along the water's edge, with perched Black Phoebes keeping a watchful eye for any early insect hatchlings just above the yellowthroats. Wilson's Snipes were present in large numbers, with more than half a dozen flushed in a short area near the western edge of the walkable access. Good duck diversity was present, with Northern Pintails, Northern Shovelers, Mallards, Green-winged Teal, Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Ducks, Buffleheads, Gadwall, Ring-necked Duck, and a nice flock of 35 Snow Geese. A long American Avocet joined a small group of Long-billed Dowitchers and a few Greater Yellowlegs, which along with the ubiquitous Killdeer made for a not-bad shorebird contingent in the middle of the Arizona desert. An early Great Egret needed eBird confirmation, I snapped a poor digiscope just to be sure. Another early birdy, a flock of 15 Tree Swallows gave the area a taste of the upcoming summer.

Common Yellowthroat, a year-round warbler of Arizona, Whitewater Draw WMA, Cochise Co., AZ

A dusky Lesser Scaup, Whitewater Draw WMA, Cochise Co., AZ

Wilson's Snipe, Whitewater Draw WMA, Cochise Co., AZ

 As I arrived fairly late in the day, I retired to the parking area to set up my camp for the evening, when I spied a familiar bird in an unfamliar place, a Rock wren had apparently taken over the 5 pieces of rip-rap rock in the whole of the Sulphur Springs valley, this common species doesn't require confirmation within Cochise county, but I took it as probably the rarest bird of the day, as it was several miles from appropriate habitat. In all it was a wonderful short afternoon at the Draw, with 48 species (+2 other taxa) in just 2.5 hours (http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S21840738 ). The celebrities of Whitewater, the Great-horned Owl mating pair was on display, beginning their duet just before dusk. In all, it was an excellent Cochise County birding day, with the kind of diversity of species and habitat I've come to expect from this corner of the world, with 92 species in total for the day.

Day 2 Total: 125 miles driven, 92 species, 11,200+ individual birds, YTD Birds (All US): 250 species

Rock Wren, the king of a very small kingdom of rock, Whitewater Draw WMA, Cochise Co., AZ

The most photographed Great-horned Owl in all of Arizona, Whitewater Draw WMA, Cochise Co., AZ

The wintery world of Taos County, New Mexico January 16-26, 2015

As a native Texan, I've been interested and held in awe at the beauty of Taos, New Mexico and it's surrounding mountains, canyons, and imposing gorge looming to the west since I was a kid (and a kid lucky enough to spend a lot of time across NM before moving here as soon as High School was done). My daughter Ruby lives in the Taos area, so I make the drive up and over the mountains frequently to pick her up. These drives give me the chance to slip in some short-birding forays here and there before or after school-picks ups, mostly at the wetlands along Hwy 518 just south of Talpa (Rio Grande del Rancho Wetlands, Tierra Azul Wetlands), but occasionally down to Pilar to slip in the short but very productive drive along the Orilla Verde National Recreation area within the Rio Grande Gorge itself. As with most things, the best of these trips are those when Ruby can come with me!

January 17th
Ruby's house in Arroyo Seco is in a wonderful part of the valley, lush alfalfa fields, with abundant cottonwood gallery forests and sub-irrigated fields, the place is always great for birds, any time of year. I was happy to see the Lewis' Woodpecker that has been around since May 2014 was still returning to her suet feeder and happily working the Populus angustifolia (Narrow-leaf Cottonwood) trees around the yard. A first for me in her yard, a very cute Red-breasted Nuthatch also visited the suet frequently, giving Ruby great looks at her lifer RBNU. Unfortunately the bird did not call, as I was describing it's nasaly trumpet call. Gray-headed Dark-eyed Juncos made every bush and tree jump with activity.

Lewis' Woodpecker adult, Taos Co., NM 1/17/2015

Red-breasted nuthatch in Taos Co., NM 1/17/2015

Gray-headed Dark-eyed Junco, Taos Co., NM 1/17/2015

After departing Taos, proper, I turned to Ruby and made a bio-challenge, that we shouldn't leave Taos county (on our way back to Las Vegas) before seeing a Bald Eagle, challenge accepted! We took the short, but windy road from Ranchos down to Pilar before hanging a right off the busy hwy 68 and onto the tranquil Hwy 570 which follows the Rio Grande through the Gorge for 10 miles before climbing to the west up above the caprock at the bustling little village (sarcasm) of Carson, NM. It's one of those classic New Mexico backroads, where you'll spot landscape views familiar in travel magazines and post-cards from Taos.
As Ruby and I stopped to check out a mixed flock of sparrows, and to move a dead Sharp-shinned hawk (roadkill, probably a car) off the road, I spied a big shadow moving across the river's reflective blue. We both looked up to find a beautiful adult Bald Eagle soaring in loops not 40m above our heads. Ruby had my binoculars and enjoyed National Geographic-quality views, while I grabbed my camera and took some not-so-National Geographic-quality photos.

Adult Bald Eagle soaring over the Rio Grande in the Orilla Verde Rec. Area, Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument, Taos Co., NM, 1/17/2015

With our challenge-Eagle out of the way, and Ruby eager to get back home to Las Vegas to start on our to-do-list for the weekend (mostly involving playing, building cardboard houses, building snowmen, and watching movies) I knew her birding attention span would soon be out, luckily, 2 new duck species for her where present in good numbers along the Rio, and she enjoyed great looks at Common Goldeneye drakes, Common Mergansers, and the ubiquitous Canada Geese, while I busied myself trying to take some decent photographs. I loved hearing her say, "I can actually see the golden-eye - wow that's cool!", things like this make me really repeat the mantra as often as I can - take a kid birding, it's good for them!

Common Goldeneye drakes (males) in Orilla Verde Rec. Area, Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument, Taos Co., NM, 1/23/2015

A Common Merganser male in full breeding plumage in Orilla Verde. Merganser and Goldeneye ducks are the most common species within the river during winter, they're diving ducks, meaning they dive for fish as their primary diet, young trout be ware! Orilla Verde Rec. Area, Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument, Taos Co., NM, 1/23/2015

January 23rd

 I returned the following week to the Taos area to pick Ruby up for a long weekend. Her school pick up was on friday, so I decided to visit my dear friends Dani and Adam who are now living in Pojaque (after living 3 blocks away for the past 7 years) on Thursday and cut my friday commute short and get in some Pilar-birding! After a wonderful thursday night of playing bones (dominos), 'Wa-hoo', and enough rum to keep a corpse warm, I set off Friday morning (after a gallon of cheap gas-station coffee to counteract said Rum) for Pilar.

The actual village of Pilar is a great little haven of deciduous trees (Elm, Cottonwood, Russian Olive, Willow, and a few ornamentals) and bird feeders amidst a Pinon-Juniper dominated landscape. I find the best parking is at Dolores Rd (north end of Pilar), or at the mailboxes. The people who live in the area are friendly, and if you're wandering around the neighborhood, just make sure your binoculars are visible and you shouldn't be considered as a person of interest! A few bird-feeders visible from public roads offer nice concentrations of feeder-visitors, I found Mountain Chickadees, Evening Grosbeaks, House Finches, and Dark-eyed Juncos (Gray-headed, Pink-sided) along the roads, with an unending chorus of corvids; Common Raven, American Crow, Western Scrub-Jay, and Black-billed magpie were all vocally present, proclaiming likely complex messages to each other.

The big surprise of my Pilar walk were 2 Eastern Bluebirds foraging between the river and road. I later found that EABL had been reported a few days earlier by some Taos birders (eBird) in the same area. Eastern Bluebirds can be common in the Albuquerque area and eastern edge of the state, but for them to be in Taos county is an uncommon event, with only a couple of records per year. These were my first for Taos county. Also in Pilar was a female Hooded Merganser, flagged in eBird as 'rare' for Taos county, however many have been seen in the past few months, both on the Rio Grande, and in Ranchos de Taos.

 

An adult Eastern Bluebird in Pilar, NM was a great surprise. Eastern Bluebirds have a distinctively clean white belly that adds a nice tri-colored effect. Pilar, NM lies at the southern entrance of the Orilla Verde Rec. Area, Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument, Taos Co., NM. 1/23/2015

Hooded Merganser female, Orilla Verde Rec. Area, Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument, Taos Co., NM, 1/23/2015

 A familiar bird across New Mexico, but uncommon in the gorge, a single Northern Pintail was seen with a group of Gadwall and Canada Geese. This is one of my favorite ducks, for it's elegant shape and head pattern. During the Orilla Verde CBC on 12/17/2014 our group recorded and photo'd a single Northern Pintail drake as they are uncommon and documentation would be requested, could this be the same individual? Although it was in approximately the same place as the previous month, the Rio Grande is an artery of migration, with birds likely traveling up and down it's flow frequently, so short answer; hard to say. A handful of Ring-necked Duck males and females were seen along with Common Goldeneye in a rapid section of the river. It's always fun watching ducks navigate riffles and rapids, as much of my observation time of ducks is on still-water lakes and bays.

Northern Pintail Drake on the Rio Grande, Orilla Verde Rec. Area, Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument, Taos Co., NM, 1/23/2015

Ring-necked Duck (left), and Common Goldeneye (right), Orilla Verde Rec. Area, Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument, Taos Co., NM, 1/23/2015

Quick trip to the Chiricahuas and southwest New Mexico - Day 1

On February 13th I set off for a quick trip to the eastern Cochise county and the border towns of Douglas, AZ/Agua Prieta, SN. I had a temporary vehicle permit for Sonora only set to expire in a few days and needed to close out officially, risking the chance to not be able to re-enter Sonora with a personal vehicle if the deadline was not met. I figured a 10 hour drive just for a DMV-type visit warranted more time spent in the area to the north of Douglas, the fabled Chiricahua mountains. In 2014 I worked extensively throughout the Chiricahuas from May - September, and had spent some recreational time on the eastern slope in February of the same year.

Day 1 (2/13/2015)

I departed from Las Vegas at 0600 with a mostly southern bearing, fueling up in Las Vegas (Gas) and Pecos (Pancho's Burrito) and headed for a rendezvous with the most famous of New Mexico's National Wildlife Refuges; Bosque del Apache NWR, San Antonio, NM. The 'bosque' is famous for Sandhill Cranes and other wintering waterfowl and hosts an annual a birding festival in November (Festival of the Cranes) centered around the fall migration. A variety of habitats and it's location along the Rio Grande make birding in the bosque good year-round, not just during the heavily-visited winter months. A Great-horned Owl being pursued by a Common Raven across I-25 just south of Bernalillo were my first birds of the trip. The owl was near a grain silo, probably a resident taking advantage of inflated rodent populations, I've seen this phenomenon in west Texas at grain silos along State Hwy 287. Arriving in San Antonio, I turned onto NM 1, finding Sandhill Cranes in scattered small groups in agricultural fields along the way. A small group of Snow/Ross's Geese were foraging in an alfalfa field, I didn't' stop to differentiate the two similiar species, thinking I would run into more once on the dirt roads of the bosque, which I did not. Sparrows were around in high numbers, mostly White-crowned and Savanna Sparrows (first of the year for me in NM). Bald Eagles, Loggerhead Shrike, Curve-billed Thrasher were all roadside birds, good for ID at 50 mph. At the first water stop, good dabbling duck mix of Northern Pintails, Gadwalls and Green-winged Teal, but the real highlight was a singing Eastern Meadowlark, less bubbly than Western, with a two-part type of song. Many nearby Western Meadowlarks also gave song comparisons, I don't believe it's possible to say one is prettier than the other, but I think I prefer the Western's more gurgling finish. The BDANWR Visitor Center has a nice feeder and water bubbler setup outside of an observation window. I always lurk around the side of the building, as I try not to bird from the indoors as much as possible (you miss out on many of the good sounds!). Sparrow diversity was really great at the VC, with White-throated, White-crowned, Chipping, and House Sparrows, along with both Spotted and Green-tailed Towhee. The Green-tailed Towhee was very active around the buildings, giving great looks in shifting light of it's iridescent lime green tail and coverts, a more beautiful sparrow does not exist. A Red-tailed Hawk in the tree above the feeders failed to scare away the many Gambel's Quail visiting the water bubbler. Mountain Chickadees were another active passerine flitting and chipping around the parking area.

Green-tailed Towhee, BDANWR, 2/13/2015

Cooper's Hawk, BDANWR, 2/13/2015

The refuge tour road was the next stop, more of a long, often-paused cruise. High duck diversity and low Geese numbers was the theme, with nearly every expected dabbler and diver present. The highlight was great looks at a large group of Cinnamon Teal, probably fresh from the south. Cinnamon Teal drakes are a rich beautiful chestnut color, but uncommon in my home county, so this was a treat watching a whole group associating with Northern Shovelers dabble around the marshes.
Photo. Passerines were few and far between, with Bewick's Wrens, Marsh Wrens, and Brown Creepers abundant in expected habitats. A single Cooper's Hawk flushed from a bosque portion of cottonwood.

A lone Phainopepla was heard from somewhere in the scrub habitats surrounding the marsh boardwalk. Shorebirds were even fewer, with a single pair of Greater Yellowlegs doing a bizarre flight display, where one individual led the other on an indirect, frantic flight over one of the marshes. They appeared to want to land, but perhaps water depth was too deep, for they kept circling around above the water for at least 4 minutes before alighting on the shoreline, vocalizing the entire time, their piercing 'kye kye kye' drowning out the hundreds of ducks in the water. Just before leaving, I got out to road-bird just before the pay-booth, finding my 3rd Phoebe of the day for the trifecta, Eastern (Uncommon), Say's, and Black Phoebe. It always makes me smile to see flycatchers in February. In all I saw 56 species (+4 subspecies) along the loop, not bad for 3.5 hours.

Say's Phoebe, BDANWR, 2/13/2015

Canvasback drake, BDANWR, 2/13/2015

Cinnamon Teal, BDANWR, 2/13/2015

This was a big day for my 2015 New Mexico list, going from 115-132 species, with 79 species in Soccorro in the span of about 4 hours.
Leaving the Bosque behind I continued south on I-25, feeling hungry and looking for a Green-chili cheeseburger screaming my name. I stopped at some place in Hatch with a bbq type name; stucky's or stubbys or tubby's or something of the sort. In any event, the G.C. Cheeseburger was as advertised and excellent, just greasy enough, and perfectly medium rare as ordered. The road from Hatch-Deming and eventually Lordsburg goes through beautiful rolling Chihuahan desert grassland, and in a year such as this with at least average rainfall, has several large playa complexes along route. I cruised through the 'Nutthatch' playa, which harboured some dabblers and many raptors. The playa is named not after a wayward nuthatch that was ever seen at this grassland-playa, but for its geographic location, about halfway between Nutt and Hatch, NM, very clever name for a birding hotspot indeed!

A small group of 3 Sandhill Cranes flew over Hwy 80 heading for Animas as I pulled into the Rodeo Tavern just as twilight overtook a beautiful, lingering sunset over the Chiricahuas. Rodeo Tavern has good beer, and good people, some said good people will even buy you a good beer if you bring a good story! A shrieking Barn Owl was the last bird of the day, heard as I left the Tavern, not much easier birding than that!

Day 1 Total: 480 miles driven, 78 species, 4,400+ individual birds, YTD Birds (All US): 241 species

A wet snow and some new birds to close out the month - January 31st, 2015

The final days of January kicked us back into wintery vistas around Las Vegas, a wet 3" fell over the course of 2 days, leaving roads muddy, trees laden, and streams jamming. I went for my usual long walk along the Gallinas River, following the Riverwalk park to the Roundhouse bosquette, then across the train tracks to the woodlands near I-25, it's about a 5 mile loop and with abundant woodland habitat, plenty of water, and interspersed pastures to give plenty of 'edge' it's always great for a variety of resident, wintering, and migrant birds, and even a pretty Paint or two.

A Paint horse on the wrong side of the tracks.

 Marsh wrens have been one of those species I've really tried to become attuned in the past 6 months or so, they're cryptically colored, wonderfully small, and are nearly always found in willow-thickets and cat-tail marsh habitat. Las Vegas is apparently at the edge of their wintering grounds, adding to my level of interest in detecting any that are around. While we had good MARW (Marsh Wren) numbers in the late fall, and were able to add one during the Las Vegas CBC back in December 2014 (12/20/2014, NMLV), I had not observed one in the area since. So, while watching and (attempting) to capture a photograph of a very active Ruby-crowned Kinglet along the River's course, it was a pleasant, but not entirely surprising moment when I spied a very LBB (little brown bird) moving through the willows, inches above the water's surface. It turned out to be my first county Marsh Wren of the year. 

Marsh Wren, one of our uncommon visitors through the year. Gallinas River, Las Vegas, NM 1/31/2015

Marsh Wren. Gallinas River, Las Vegas, NM 1/31/2015

Brown Creeper, Gallinas River, Las Vegas, NM, 1/31/2015

 A 'photographic nemesis' of mine, the Brown Creeper, is a common-enough bird this time of year, but they just do not like cameras! Their calls are distinctive and frequently given, they often forage low against elm and cottonwood trees, however they rarely stop moving for more than a few seconds, dodge to the opposing side of trees, and just overall make photographing them a challenge. These are perhaps the best shots I've taken of a Creeper, but I'm still not satisfied, the quest continues!

Brown Creepers use their tails to prop themselves vertically against tree trunks while foraging, like miniature woodpeckers. In contrast to woodpeckers which use their bills as chisels to excavate insects, Creepers have long, decurved and delicate bills meant for probing into cracks and crevices. Gallinas River, Las Vegas, NM, 1/31/2015

Winter is a great time for mixed flocks of birds, where species of mostly in the sparrows, chickadees, nuthatches and woodpecker families tend to stick near eachother in loose, but connected flocks while foraging in their own specific ways. Because the methods of foraging and preferred food items are different enough, there is little competition between species within a mixed flock, and all members receive the added bonus of 'strength in numbers'. A sharp-shinned hawk seen by one Junco, can alert the nearby chickadee, who raises a racket and alerts the flicker on the ground digging at an anthill, and so on. Because these mixed flocks tend to concentrate many of the birds in a given area, birding these groups becomes almost like 'oasis birding', where one could walk for long periods without even the scent of a bird, then suddenly you come across 5 or 10 species, with maybe 20 individual birds; the oasis. Most of the mixed flocks today were composed of the regulars; Mountain Chickadees, Black-capped Chickadees, Dark-eyed Juncos (Pink-sided), White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and a male/female pair of Downy Woodpeckers close by.

Mountain Chickadee and some-kind of pink something or other food item. Gallinas River, Las Vegas, NM 1/31/2015

Dark-eyed Junco (Pink-sided), Gallinas River, Las Vegas, NM 1/31/2015

Winter reveals many things once leaves drop and leave fractal skeletons exposed. Old nests become easier to find, woodpecker cavities suddenly appear out of no-where, and even finding birds becomes less of a challenge. I came across a nice cavity in a broken off 'staub', a dead tree with the top broken off. It will surely be used in 3 or 4 months as a nesting cavity of a variety of birds, maybe a Hairy Woodpecker (like the possible creator), maybe an Ash-throated Flycatcher, or perhaps by a European Starling family, who often unfortunately out-compete native birds for nesting cavities.  

Waiting to be occupied.

 At the far end of my walk, near the interstate, I was hoping to catch up with a flock of Evening Grosbeaks that had been hanging out in the area, and while I could not locate the grosbeaks, I did find a rarity in Las Vegas during winter; the big, bold White-throated Sparrow. These birds move through during spring and fall migration, but their usual wintering range is farther south towards Albuquerque and warming climes. This was the first I had seen in the Vegas area in upwards of two years. It was associating with a large flock of White-crowned Sparrows, American Tree Sparrows, and  Dark-eyed Juncos of several races (Pink-sided, Oregon, and Gray-headed).

White-throated Sparrow, Gallinas River, Las Vegas, NM 1/31/2015

 After a little more time at the south end of town, and a few raptor additions to the day (Red-tailed Hawk and Northern Harrier (male)), I started heading home. Those that know me are aware of my general laissez-faire attitude towards fences that I feel are inappropriate. That being said, as I straddle-crossed a barbed-wire fence for the 2,482nd time in my life, I managed to shred my thumb pretty good during the dismount. Packing ice on the wound to reduce the bleeding, I cursed myself for not being more careful as I started down the train tracks home. Adding insult to injury, a nicely perched Sharp-shinned Hawk that would've made a great photograph avoided ending up in this blogpost, as I was reluctant to work my camera with a bloody digit. Beware the unforeseen dangers of birding! *The thumb is healing nicely.
 Link to the checklist mentioned in this post