I was in Albuquerque, NM for a couple of days and a new birding buddy told me where I might be able to see a Western Screech-Owl. I got lucky and it was there! When I arrived, it seemed to be soundly sleeping. I didn't even see a twitch of the eye to check me out...then a Sharp-shinned Hawk flew between myself and the owl. It didn't make any noise except for the sound of its wings, but Ollie immediately took notice!
Yea, I name some of the birds I see...this one felt like an Ollie :) I was in Albuquerque, NM for a couple of days and a new birding buddy told me where I might be able to see a Western Screech-Owl. I got lucky and it was there! When I arrived, it seemed to be soundly sleeping. I didn't even see a twitch of the eye to check me out...then a Sharp-shinned Hawk flew between myself and the owl. It didn't make any noise except for the sound of its wings, but Ollie immediately took notice! He looked in the direction the hawk had flown for a few minutes before resuming his nap, but not before subtly giving me the once over... Then it was back to sleep... He finally woke up after sunset! When I left at dark, Ollie was still happy in his cavity. The End :)
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The Melrose "Woods" are a small stand of cottonwoods and poplars surrounded by grasslands in eastern NM. These woods are known as a migrant trap because during spring and fall migration, unusual birds tend to turn up here, most likely because this small stand of trees stands out among the grasslands. There is a cattle tank on the front of the property that has water and in the woods hummingbird feeders and two bird baths (made of steel drums) are kept filled with some water. There are no bathrooms or potable water sources. Come prepared. Aside from gas stations in the smaller towns, food can be found in Clovis and Fort Sumner. The property appears to be an old homestead with one remaining small structure and the remnants of a stone wall. From what I could gather, the land is owned by the state of New Mexico and it appears to be open to the public. There are not any "No Trespassing" signs, purple paint, or any other indication that this is private land. I was apprehensive about visiting, and even more so when I got there and saw the place, but it turned out to be an enjoyable afternoon of birding. The woods are located about 11 miles west of the town of Melrose. There are no signs or markers, just a small drive and metal gate. There was very little information online and I had hesitated to go because I didn't want to get there and find out that it was private property or that I couldn't get in. Since it was an eBird hotspot and people were reporting from there regularly, I decided to give it a whirl. I pulled up and my heart sank. A locked gate. I turned to my phone to try one more search of how to get in but the signal was not strong enough. When I walked up to the gate, I saw that the chain on the left side could be opened. Be sure to resecure the gate behind you. The first time, I walked through and left my car parked off to the side in the little driveway. After walking the road and stopping to take pics of all the great wildflowers, I got to the trees to find a small parking area and habitat that looked like snake heaven. Shoot. I would need go back to the car and get the jeans and hiking boots that I had brought. This time, I drove through and parked under the cottonwoods. The large cottonwoods were alive with Western Kingbirds, a few Bullock's Orioles, and Kestrels. Everything else, the warblers, flycatchers, and sparrows, were in the poplars. From where I parked, there did not appear to be an easy way into the woods. The area between me and the woods was low to tall brush and lots of wooden and other debris. I decided to pick my way east to the grassland and figured that I could at least bird the perimeter. After I got out into the open and birded most of the eastern edge, I found an easy way into the woods at the back of the property. When I got back to the car after working my way around the western edge of the woods, I looked to the north (in the direction of the small structure) and suddenly a number of small paths leading directly into the woods became obvious. I had walked around looking for an easier way in for quite a while earlier, but somehow I had missed them. Despite my earlier misgivings about snakes, and I'm sure that there are plenty here, I only startled one as I passed by this trail on my way back to the car. I hadn't found the Grace's or Virginia's Warblers that I had come looking for yet, so I decided to take the path back in to the woods. Once you get inside, the woods are fairly open and easy to maneuver. Despite a few hiccups along the way, it was a pleasant area to bird. I didn't get the warblers that I had come looking for, but I was delighted to find a Gray Flycatcher, a Hooded Warbler, a few Wilson's Warblers, a Yellow-breasted Chat, a Nashville Warbler, a Yellow Warbler, a hybrid Yellow-rumped Warbler, and several MacGillivray's Warblers (ahhh my old nemesis bird :), at least one Lincoln's Sparrow, several other flycatchers, and more. When I came out of the woods around sunset, two pairs of Kestrels were calling from the Cottonwoods. The land owner behind the woods had spooked a Great Horned Owl earlier and I came across a feather as well. For those who are also interested in insects and plants, there were plenty to enjoy.
So I am sensing a theme over the past couple of days...could it be possible that I love dinosaur fossils?!? Yes!!! We stopped in Clayton, NM to stretch our legs during our drive from Colorado and just happened to pass a dinosaur display on our way through town. There was pretty much no debate at that point. Getting back to West Texas at a reasonable hour? No longer an option. Our attempt at an hour detour turned into several hours, but we had a lot of fun. Clayton Lake State Park claims to have one of the highest concentrations and diversity (at least 8 species) of preserved dinosaur tracks in the world, and I can see why. Despite my love of dinosaurs, I have gotten to see very few in-place dinosaur tracks and have not yet been able to visit Dinosaur Valley State Park outside of Dallas/Ft. Worth. The couple of places that I have visited have had 2-4 preserved prints (still very cool), while Clayton Lake claims to have over 500 (wow!). While they are not all obvious, many are excellent. The entry fee for the park was $5. The visitor's center looked very nice, but was closed when we arrived, so we filled out our permit slip and deposited our fee into the box at one of the several information stations (there is one at the entrance of the parking area for the dinosaur tracks). The walk was only 1/4 mile each way, but it was hot and its easy to stay at the tracks longer than planned, so bring water. The trail was level and easy, but not paved, and a set of stairs leads you down to the footprints. At the end of the trail was a pavilion with information about the tracks. And now, on to the tracks!!! There were also informative signs along the boardwalk to explain what you were seeing. This sign explains the footprints seen in the picture above. In addition to dinosaur tracks, there are also fossilized remains of worm burrows, palm fronds (pictured above), possible leaves and an area where they think a dinosaur used its tail to balance itself in the mud. There were plenty of tracks and imprints to see and speculate about, but there was also beautiful scenery and plenty of wildlife including Mule deer, dragonflies, damselflies, bunnies, birds, and an unusual looking cricket (unfortunately, I did not get a good picture). Highlights of the birds included a Greater Roadrunner, Say's Phoebes, Rock Wrens, an Ash-throated Flycatcher, a Green-tailed Towhee, Lark Sparrows, a Red-tailed Hawk, and swirling Turkey Vultures.
We have visited White Sands National Monument twice (once in 2010 and again in 2015) and driven by it countless times. Every time we pass through the area, I want to stop, but we just don't always have time. This is one of those places that is so strange that you have to see it for yourself. There are a few places away from the coasts with sand dunes, like Death Valley National Park, but these sand dunes are different...they are made of gypsum. As seasonal water evaporates, selenite crystals form underground. When the crystals become exposed, wind and water break them down until they become the gypsum sand that you see all around you at White Sands National Monument (for a more detailed description of the geological processes that created this natural phenomenon, please visit the National Park Service's website here.) To top it all off, these are the largest gypsum sand dunes in the world. There is an auto tour that you can drive at your leisure and several places to stop along the way. Additionally, several Ranger Programs are offered throughout the year. The dunes lie in the Tularosa Basin surrounded by two mountain ranges, the San Andreas and Sacramento Mountains. While the dunes may look barren, White Sands is a fragile ecosystem containing lots of life. As you step out of your car to explore, please be mindful of the difficult conditions that these plants and animals must endure to survive and do not disturb them. The sand is constantly shifting and this has led to some interesting adaptations by the plants to stay rooted. Some have extensive root and stem systems that hold sand in place so that even after the dune they are growing in has moved, they have "their own dune" held in place. Plants also have to grow quickly to ensure that they are not buried forever beneath the sands. The circular pattern in the sand around the grasses pictured below has been created by the wind. Since the dunes are constantly moving, the staff regularly clean the roads, leaving interesting patterns in the sand (pictured below). One of the Ranger Programs includes a daily sunset walk. We had a great time participating and learned about the native plants and animals while enjoying the beautiful scenery of the the sun setting over the white dunes. During the walk, we found a surprising number of animal tracks! And when it got too dark to look for tracks, we watched the sunset. For more information, please visit White Sands National Monument's website.
This was our first visit to Bosque del Apache, but this is one of my favorite areas within the United States. Every view is a picture. The wildlife refuge was beautiful and the staff was helpful and friendly. The refuge has a north and south auto tour loop. We joined the Sunday morning birding tour, which covered the north loop, and after lunch we travelled the south loop. This site is well known for the large population of Sandhill Cranes, Ross' Geese, and Snow Geese that overwinter here. The Rio Grande flows through the refuge and the area is now managed to support the wildlife populations. When we arrived in early March, there were only a few of each of these species left, but there was still plenty to see. You could easily spend a few hours birding the area around the Visitor's Center (and I did!). As soon as we arrived we saw a group of Gambel's Quail, my target species at the refuge. Since the refuge I have seen one individual at a time at other locations in New Mexico and Arizona, but there were large numbers of them here and they were just about everywhere around the Visitor's Center. The refuge was great for birding and we saw at least 50 species. I saw my first Gambel's Quail, Cinnamon Teal, a Peregrine Falcon, a white morph Ferruginous Hawk, and Black and Say's Phoebes. In addition to the birds, we saw Striped Skunks, Javelina, Rock Squirrels, elk, raccoons, rabbits, and Long-tailed Weasels! This refuge quickly became one of our favorites and we will definitely be back. Just a reminder that there are wildlife in this area! Be on the lookout for mountain lions, coyotes (which we hoped to see, but did not), javelina, and snakes. Be mindful of your surroundings and pay attention to posted signs. Here's a link to their website:
http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Bosque_del_Apache/ and to the Friends of Bosque del Apache website: http://www.friendsofthebosque.org Leaving the cold front that was passing through Texas, we headed west into New Mexico to visit the Very Large Array (VLA) and Bosque del Apache NWR. The VLA has guided tours the first Saturday of every month and we were able to attend one of them. If you are not able to be there for one of the guided tours, they have plenty of signs and information for self-guided tours. The VLA is a group of 27 radio telescopes arranged in a Y formation to observe the skies. The radio telescopes can be arranged into various positions, but are primarily placed in one of 4 circular formations ranging from close together to far apart. This facility is worth the hour drive west from Socorro. Not only was the array itself very interesting, the views are spectacular, too.
We have visited Bitter Lake NWR in New Mexico twice and while both trips saw the area in a drought and without many areas filled with water, we still saw a variety of birds and wildlife each time. The first time we visited was in October 2011 and the second time was during the Dragonfly Festival in September 2012. During the first visit, the most plentiful birds were American Coots. While this species can be found throughout the United States, I have rarely seen this many together (a few hundred). Since they were grouped together, we had a lot of fun watching their behavior. These birds are too heavy for a quick take off when they are startled, so instead of flying to another area, they end up just getting their feet high enough to make it look like they are running across the surface of the water, splashing the whole way! On this trip, we also saw White-faced Ibis, a Least Sandpiper, a Northern Harrier, ducks, and shorebirds. Although the birds were a little scarce during this visit, one of the highlights was watching two foxes on the refuge. One, reddish in color, spent most of the time splashing along the grass at the edge of the water and the other, gray in color, was running through the fields. I love seeing foxes and it was fantastic to see two species in the same area! Usually I see one crossing a road every few years, so two in one day was a record for me. During the second visit, we saw one of my favorite birds...the Long-billed Curlew! While I saw a few of these along the Texas Gulf Coast, there were over 100 gathered at the refuge during our trip. This picture shows a small portion of the group and the different bill lengths. We were able to identify them by their bills and the reddish color under their wings when they flew, but since some of the bills were shorter than others, it looks as though both juveniles and adults were present. There are some small shorebirds in the middle that are most likely Sanderlings. We also saw a Norther Harrier, White-faced Ibis, American Coots, a Pied-billed Grebe, American White Pelicans, American Avocets, Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Great Blue Herons, ducks, and a few unidentified shorebirds. No foxes this time, but the Pecos Sunflower, which is endangered, was in bloom throughout the refuge and made the already breathtaking views even more beautiful. In the second picture you can see them winding their way through the landscape. There were also plenty of dragonflies and damselflies, after all, it was the Dragonfly Festival! For more information and to plan your trip, here's Bitter Lake's website:
http://www.fws.gov/refuge/bitter_lake/ Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge just hosted their 12th annual Dragonfly Festival. During this event, they offered birding, dragonfly, and wildlife tours as well as other activities. The majority of the activities took place on Saturday, and we arrived on Sunday, but we were still able to participate in one of the dragonfly tours (please call ahead for tour reservations). Our guides were very knowledgeable and did a great job of answering questions. Bitter Lake is located just northeast of Roswell, NM. The refuge protects a special area because it contains fresh, spring, and salt water areas. Due to this, the refuge attracts both dragonflies and birds that you would usually only see in other saltwater environments, typically along coastlines. Over 100 species of dragonflies and damselflies can be found at the refuge. and during our tour we saw several species including Seaside Dragonlets, Bleach Skimmers, Desert Forktails, and Familiar Bluets. Twelve-spotted skimmers were also around, but we didn't see one up close. The picture at the top is an Eastern Pondhawk that we saw at Gators and Friends Alligator Park and Exotic Zoo in Louisiana, but can also be found at Bitter Lake NWR. We learned that one way to tell dragonflies and damselflies apart is by their eye structure. Dragonflies have eyes on the top of their head while damselflies have eyes on either side of their head, giving them a "hammerhead" look. Below is a picture of Familiar Bluets and you can see that their eyes are on either side of their head: This year's Dragonfly Festival was held at the beginning of September, but Bitter Lake has lots of other wildlife to see year-round and we saw several interesting birds that I will cover in another post. The refuge is well worth visiting if you are in the area. http://www.fws.gov/refuge/bitter_lake/
To learn more about dragonflies and for some really nice pictures, "A Dazzle of Dragonflies" by Forrest Mitchell and James Lasswell was recommended to me. I also own this book and bought it because I loved the images. If you are interested in identifying dragonflies and damselflies yourself, there are some great guides coming out. I had a chance to look at "Damselflies of Texas: A Field Guide" (Texas Natural History Guides) by John Abbott and I really liked it. If you would like a quick reference, I found the following websites helpful: Dragonflies: http://www.rt66.com/~kjherman/odonata/NMdrgnfly.html Damselflies: http://www.rt66.com/~kjherman/odonata/NMdmslfly.html Some of the links in the above sites no longer work and these are for New Mexico, but websites exist for many states. |
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