New Mexico Ornithological Society

New Mexico Statewide Hotline, June 14, 2007

This is Pinyon Jay with the New Mexico Bird Report for Thursday, June 14, 2007, sponsored by the New Mexico Ornithological Society. When phone numbers are given for private property, please call before going. Most places mentioned and a checklist of N.M. birds are in the N.M. Bird Finding Guide. Updates to the Bird Finding Guide are posted to the NMOS web page at www.nmosbirds.org/updates.html. All N.M. phone numbers are area code 505. For past RBA's check the NMOS web page at www.nmosbirds.org. For photos of rarities and directions to NM birding sites check hometown.aol.com/borealowl.

Highlights are Tricolored Heron, Glossy Ibis, Bronzed Cowbirds, Yellow-crowned Night-heron, Kentucky Warbler, Ruddy Turnstone.

- Birds Mentioned and Counties:

      Common Loon (Chaves)
      Tricolored Heron (Chaves)
      Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (San Miguel)
      GLOSSY IBIS (Socorro, Chaves, Colfax)
      Common Merganser (Chaves)
      Mississippi Kite (Chaves)
      Harris's and Zone-tailed Hawks (Eddy)
      Montezuma Quail (Catron)
      Virginia Rail (Taos)
      Snowy Plover (Otero, Chaves, Eddy)
      Mountain Plover (Torrance, Colfax)
      Marbled Godwit (Eddy)
      Long-billed Curlew (Doña Ana, Mora)
      RUDDY TURNSTONE (Eddy)
      Least Tern (Eddy, Chaves)
      Eurasian Collared-Dove (Rio Arriba)
      Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Socorro)
      Flammulated Owl (Bernalillo)
      Western Screech-Owl (Doña Ana)
      Burrowing Owl (Chaves)
      Northern Pygmy-Owl (Grant)
      Northern Saw-whet Owl (Bernalillo)
      Whip-poor-will (Doña Ana, Bernalillo, San Miguel)
      Chimney Swift (Curry, Quay, Chaves)
      Lewis's Woodpecker (San Juan)
      Olive-sided and Hammond's Flycatchers (Rio Arriba)
      Vermilion Flycatcher (Socorro)
      Dusky-capped Flycatcher (Grant)
      Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Eddy)
      Bell's Vireo (Socorro)
      Hutton's Vireo (Grant, Doña Ana)
      Gray Vireo (Eddy, San Juan)
      Red-eyed and Warbling Vireos (Bernalillo)
      Pinyon Jay (San Juan)
      Purple Martin (Colfax)
      Cave Swallow (Doña Ana)
      Cactus Wren (Bernalillo)
      Veery (Taos, rio Arriba)
      Gray Catbird (Socorro, Rio Arriba)
      Northern Mockingbird (San Miguel)
      Sage Thrasher (San Juan)
      Curve-billed Thrasher (Cibola)
      Cedar Waxwing (Torrance, Rio Arriba)
      Phainopepla (Sandoval)
      Lucy's Warbler (Socorro)
      Kentucky Warbler (San Juan)
      Hepatic Tanager (Eddy)
      Cassin's Sparrow (San Miguel)
      Black-chinned Sparrow (Cibola)
      Sage Sparrow (San Juan)
      Lark Bunting (Mora)
      Yellow-eyed Junco (Grant)
      Varied Bunting (Eddy)
      Eastern Meadowlark (Cibola, Harding)
      Great-tailed Grackle (Rio Arriba)
      Bronzed Cowbird (Chaves, Bernalillo)
      Scott's Oriole (Santa Fe)
      Pine Grosbeak (Taos)
      Red Crossbill (Bernalillo)

In San Juan County;
      TR reported a male KENTUCKY WARBLER at Berg Park on the Animas River in Farmington from June 5 to June 7 west of the restrooms at the nature trail at the Fairview entrance. DB saw the warbler on June 11 and WW found it June 13 singing loudly.
      WW on June 13 also had two LEWIS'S WOODPECKERS in Riverside Park in Aztec north of Farmington.
      On hwy. 2390 in Cedar Hill DB on May 24 had a flock of PINYON JAYS, and six GRAY VIREOS. On the sage flats south of Bloomfield on US 550 there were SAGE SPARROWS and SAGE THRASHERS.

In Rio Arriba County:
      At the Elkhorn Lodge in Chama on June 9 BH had four CEDAR WAXWINGS and four CATBIRDS. There are now COLLARED DOVES in town. He was not early enough to see the Veery.
      JO on his Cebolla BBS (to El Rito) on June 11 had three OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHERS and a HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER with a GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE in El Rito.

In Sandoval County:
      SO and JMc on June 2 saw a female PHAINOPEPLA in the Rio Grande bosque at Algodones.

In Taos County:
      On the Ojo Sarco BBS on June 2 JP had a VEERY on NM 75 near its junction with NM 518. Usually one has to be there very early (dawn) to find them. Near the junction of NM 75 and 76 behind a church in a marsh near Vadito there was a VIRGINIA RAIL.
      At the Taos Ski Valley on the trail to Williams Lake there was for JP and WW a PINE GROSBEAK.

In Santa Fe County;
      MR, THo, and DE on the Caja del Rio area in Santa Fe had two SCOTT'S ORIOLES on June 9 in junipers.

In Mora County;
      CR on June 9 at 13 miles east Wagon Mound on Hwy. 120 saw five LARK BUNTINGS and four LONG-BILLED CURLEWS at flooded areas on the north side of the road. There were two more buntings two miles south of Wagon Mound off I-25.

In San Miguel County:
      BW, ST, and AF on May 20 found a nesting YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON at the Gallinas River near the Memorial Middle School on Cinder Road. JP and WW found it on May 28, JO June 1.
      CR on June 10 had three WHIP-POOR-WILLS calling at dawn in Gallinas Canyon on Hwy. 65 between Montezuma and Gallinas.
      He had fewer CASSIN'SPARROWS and MOCKINGBIRDS singing on his Variadero BBS west of Conchas Lake on June 10.

In Harding County;
      CR on June 9 had several EASTERN MEADOWLARKS singing just east of the north arm of Ute Lake.

In Colfax County:
      At Stubblefield Lake JO on June 1 had a GLOSSY IBIS in breeding plumage near the dam.
      He had a MOUNTAIN PLOVER on NM 58 west of mile marker 8 on June 7.
      On June 6 DC found up to six PURPLE MARTINS on NM 555 to the Vermejo Ranch headquarters at a pond near mile marker 9.

In Quay County:
      On May 24 BH saw two CHIMNEY SWIFTS flying over Tucumcari Lake.

In Cibola County:
      CJG on May 24 reported a CURVE-BILLED THRASHER at Hwy. 53 near the Zuni-Acoma Trailhead in the El Malpais NM. Also present were several EASTERN MEADOWLARKS and BLACK-CHINNED SPARROWS singing on NM 117 in the narrows.

In Bernalillo County:
      On May 27 and 28 MH found the RED-EYED VIREO behind the San Antonio de Padua Church south of Cedar Crest on NM14 in the eastern Sandias maybe nesting. The female may be a WARBLING VIREO. DB also saw them on May 28. JB found the two species together on May 29.
      On May 28 DB had RED CROSSBILLS in Hondo Canyon of the Sandias with a juvenile.
      KC along the trail at the Embudo Trailhead at Indian School in Albuquerque on May 18 had a CACTUS WREN.
      DB on May 22 at the Sandia Memory Gardens cemetery in northeast Albuquerque found a female BRONZED COWBIRD. JSt again had a male on May 31 and JO saw it on May 30. BN and CR saw a courting pair on June 2.
      BV on May 12 heard a FLAMMULATED OWL and a WHIP-POOR-WILL at the Doc Long Picnic Ground in the eastern Sandia Mountains. DP on May 26 had the Flammulated calling at Capulin Springs and a SAW-WHET OWL below the spring. CL on June 1 had three Flammulated Owls, but did not find the Saw-whet.

In Torrance County:
      ES on June 9 at his home at 61 Sunglow Loop had three CEDAR WAXWINGS.
      DB on May 19 while driving the I-40 frontage road at the Stone Gate Turf Farm in Moriarty had two MOUNTAIN PLOVERS at the former Green Chaparral Turf Farm, now off limits to birders. . LN, JZe, and SB on May 30 on the frontage road again saw the two plovers.

In Curry County:
      At the Clovis Sewage Ponds be sure to advise them that you are there to bird.
      DB had five CHIMNEY SWIFTS over Main St. in Clovis.

In Socorro County:
      At Bosque del Apache Refuge near San Antonio CL on May 26 found several VERMILION FLYCATCHERS on the Marsh Loop, up to four CATBIRDS on the seasonal road, and a singing BELL'S VIREO near Audio Stop 9. On May 27 DB had two LUCY'S WARBLERS near Audio Stop 6. JSt on May 30 saw the GLOSSY IBIS and the vireo at Audio Stop 9. CL on June 3 did not see the ibis, but had a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO, and two Catbirds. A Coatimundi has also been reported on the refuge. JO on June 12 had three late WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS.

In Chaves County:
      JH on Bitter Lake Refuge on May 23 had a TRICOLORED HERON at the northeast corner of the Hunter Marsh with two BURROWING OWLS on Unit 7. JH again saw the heron on May 29. DB on May 29 had a GLOSSY IBIS immature on the Oxbow Trail (photo), 34 SNOWY PLOVERS and 15 LEAST TERNS (some nesting). JH on June 6 reported that BB had the heron again on Unit 15, a COMMON MERGANSER on Unit 16, and a COMMON LOON (which flew south off the refuge) on Unit 15.
      NG on May 26 had 16 MISSISSIPPI KITES in Roswell at fields at Pine Lodge Road and Main Street.
      At NMMI in Roswell JP saw the two CHIMNEY SWIFTS while in Cahoon Park a male BRONZED COWBIRD and the expected many MISSISSIPPI KITES were found.

In Catron County:
      JO had a calling MONTEZUMA QUAIL near Reserve on June 9.

In Grant County:
      KS on May 25 to 27 at the Cherry Creek Campground north of Pinos Altos had a YELLOW-EYED JUNCO, a HUTTON'S VIREO, and a PYGMY OWL. MF in late May found a DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER there.

In Hidalgo County:
      County Hwy. 1 south of Animas crosses the Diamond A (Gray) Ranch. Because of events with thoughtless birders, one must not go off the road.

In Luna County:
      Katfish Kove is no longer open to birders.

In Doña Ana County:
      JZ and MS on May 27 had at least six CAVE SWALLOWS at the Fossil View Road bridge over the Leasburg Main.
      At the Uvas Valley playa west of Hatch JZ and MS on June 4 saw 36 LONG-BILLED CURLEWS.
      On the Pine Tree Trail at Aguirre Springs State Park MS and JZ overnighting on May 12 had a WESTERN SCREECH-OWL with four WHIP-POOR-WILLS.
      In Fillmore Canyon in the Organ Mts. near the La Cueva Picnic area on May 27 CL found a HUTTON'S VIREO.

In Otero County:
      CL on May 25 at the Holloman Lakes saw 14 SNOWY PLOVERS with chicks.
      At the Holloman Lakes near Alamogordo the "no access" signs are for hunters only. The entire shore is open to birding. Due to vandalism the sightings list and box have been removed.

In Eddy County:
      RD on June 8 at Brantley Lake found a RUDDY TURNSTONE adult at the point north of the state park with five MARBLED GODWITS, a SNOWY PLOVER, and two LEAST TERNS.
      LG on May 13 had a male VARIED BUNTING in Walnut Canyon on the way up to the Caverns. It was at the first exhibit pullover below the parking lot.
      At Rattlesnake Springs LC on May 29 had a ZONE-TAILED HAWK near the restrooms and the HARRIS'S HAWK on a pole near the Washington Ranch. CA on June 1 had a SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER at the ranch.
      Also in the Lincoln NF in the Guadalupe Mts. DB had a adult ZONE-TAILED HAWK over the canyon on NM 137 near mile post 25 north of Dark Canyon. He saw many GRAY VIREOS and HEPATIC TANAGERS.

- Initials Used:

      CA, Corey Anderson; JB, Jonathan Batkin; DB, Devin Bosler; BB, Bill Briney; SB, Sally Burke; KC, Karen Canon; DC, David Cleary; LC, Louis Cuellar; RD. Rob Doster; DE, Deanna Einspahr; AF, Andrew Fenner; MF, Mike Fugagli; NG, Noah Gaines; LG, Larry Gorbet; JCG, J.C.Grimes; MH, Michael Hilchey; THo, Terry Hodapp; BH, Bill Howe; JH, Jeff Howland; CL, Carl Lundblad; JMc, Jim McPhee; LN, Lannois Neely; BN, Bruce Neville; SO, Steve O'Brien; JO, Jerry Oldenettel; JP, John Parmeter; TR, Tim Reeves; MR, Mary Ristow; CR, Chris Rustay; MS, Marcy Scott; ES, Ed Stephens; KS, Ken Stinnett; JSt, James Stuart; ST, Steve Tanner; BV, Brad Vaughn; BW, Bill West; WW, Bill Wittman; JZ, Jimmy Zabriskie; JZe, Jenine Zenge.

- Field Trips

Until October there are Tuesday guided hikes in the Sandia Mts. Meet at 8 am at the ranger station in Tijeras. Also at the Rio Grande Nature Center there are Saturday and Sunday bird walks at 8 am.

Central Audubon in Albuquerque has Thursday field trips. On June 21 to the Sandia Mts. Natural History Center in Cedar Crest with Melissa Howard (286-9365); and on June 28 to the Roadrunner Roost B & B in Tome and Riverside Park in Los Lunas with Rebecca Gracey (242-3821).

On Saturday, June 16, Southwestern Audubon will go up the road to the Cherry Creek Campground. Contact is 534-1450.

Also on June 16 Sangre de Cristo Audubon will bird the Orilla Verde Park on the Rio Grande near Pilar. Contact Jerry Friedman at 753-1946.

On Saturday, June 23, Central will 'do' the Villanueva Stat Park on the Pecos Rio with Rebecca Gracey at 242-3821.5

- For Bird Records Committee and Field Notes, send reports to

      Dr. Sartor O. Williams, III
      1819 Meadowview NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104
      sunbittern@earthlink.net

- Messages can also be left with your bird reports at pinyonjay@aol.com.