New Mexico Ornithological Society

New Mexico Statewide Hotline, July 5, 2007

This is Pinyon Jay with the New Mexico Bird Report for Thursday, July 5, 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 Green Kingfisher, Black-capped Gnatcatcher.

- Birds Mentioned and Counties:

      Common Loon and Eared Grebe (Colfax)
      Least Bittern (Socorro)
      White-faced Ibis (Cibola, Colfax)
      Mexican Mallard (Luna)
      Canvasback (Cibola)
      Redhead (Chaves)
      Northern Harrier (Chaves, Eddy)
      Gray Hawk (Hidalgo, Eddy)
      Zone-tailed Hawk (Grant, Hidalgo)
      Peregrine Falcon (Doña Ana)
      Montezuma Quail (Hidalgo)
      Snowy Plover (Eddy)
      Mountain Plover (Colfax)
      Black-necked Stilt (Luna)
      Long-billed Curlew (Colfax)
      Wilson's Phalarope (Otero, Luna)
      Least Tern (Eddy)
      Yellow-billed Cuckoo (San Miguel)
      Flammulated Owl (Colfax)
      Northern Pygmy-Owl (Grant, Hidalgo)
      Burrowing Owl (Chaves, Colfax, Doña Ana)
      Spotted Owl (Cibola)
      Long-eared Owl (Hidalgo, San Juan)
      Whip-poor-will (Cibola)
      Chimney Swift (Chaves, Union)
      Broad-billed and Violet-crowned Hummingbirds (Hidalgo)
      Anna's and Rufous Hummingbirds (Grant)
      Green Kingfisher (Grant)
      Vermilion Flycatcher (Socorro)
      Bell's Vireo (Socorro)
      Gray Vireo (Eddy)
      Red-eyed Vireo (Bernalillo)
      Purple Martin (Otero)
      Tree Swallow (Colfax)
      Golden-crowned Kinglet (Otero, Cibola)
      Black-capped Gnatcatcher (Cochise, AZ)
      Veery (Taos)
      Gray Catbird (Socorro)
      Bendire's Thrasher (Santa Fe)
      Cedar Waxwing (Bernalillo)
      American Redstart (Doña Ana)
      Red-faced Warbler (Otero)
      Cassin's Sparrow (Colfax)
      Black-chinned Sparrow (Chaves)
      Grasshopper Sparrow (Colfax)
      Savannah Sparrow (Cibola)
      Lark Bunting (Colfax)
      Indigo Bunting (Sandoval, Eddy, Doña Ana, Colfax)
      Lazuli Bunting (Doña Ana, Harding)
      Varied Bunting (Hidalgo)
      Dickcissel (Colfax, Chaves)
      Bronzed Cowbird (Bernalillo)
      Scott's Oriole (Santa Fe)
      Pine Grosbeak (Santa Fe)
      Red Crossbill (Colfax)

In San Juan County:
      WW on June 27 had a LONG-EARED OWL south of Farmington. Go south on 371 to Navajo 3003. Take it for about two miles to 4055. The owl was at a ditch.

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.

In Santa Fe County;
      RDu reported a PINE GROSBEAK on June 30 on the Randall Davey Audubon Center bird walk in Santa Fe.
      On the Caja del Rio area in Santa Fe BW on June 18 found a pair of BENDIRE'S THRASHERS (Curve-billed also present) and one SCOTT'S ORIOLE.

In San Miguel County:
      PF on June 29 had a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO at the Conchas Lake headquarters.

In Harding County:
      HS reported LAZULI BUNTNGS in good numbers in lower Mills Canyon and along the adjacent Canadian River.

In Colfax County:
      DC had 35 WHITE PELICANS on Stubblefield Lake on July 2.
      CR on the Maxwell Refuge on June 30 had three WHITE-FACED IBIS on Lake 12 with a winter plumage COMMON LOON on Lake 13.
      DC on the Maxwell Refuge to the south of mile marker 4 on NM 505 is a prairie dog town with BURROWING OWLS. Look for LONG-BILLED CURLEWS and MOUNTAIN PLOVERS here.
      On the upper lake at Stubblefield (Laguna Madre) he had many EARED GREBES with many LARK BUNTINGS and two singing CASSIN'S SPARROWS. There were also 17 BURROWING OWLS present in the area.
      Going south from mile 3 on hwy. C25 for a mile there were two DICKCISSELS with three more south on C25 and turning right on C23. He had another Dickcissel on July 2 on the Maxwell Refuge along A2 just east of where it meets A4. A bit east on A2 there one GRASSHOPPER SPARROW.
      CR on June 30 at Sugarite State Park near Raton found a few RED CROSSBILLS with a singing INDIGO BUNTING ON THE Little Horse Mesa Trailhead. He had FLAMMULATED OWLS calling near the Soda Pocket Campground Road and TREE SWALLOWS nesting in a box at Maloya Lake.

In Union County:
      EW reported about 12 CHIMNEY SWIFTS over the Eklund Hotel in downtown Clayton.

In Cibola County;
      JT on June 20 in Hausner Canyon of the western Zuni Mts. had a SPOTTED OWL only on June 20 with calling WHIP-POOR-WILLS most nights. There were GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS on June 24.
      He had 13 WHITE-FACED IBIS on Bluewater Lake on June 26 with a CANVASBACK on June 19. 40 SAVANNAH SPARROWS were singing in grasslands near the lake.

In Bernalillo County:
      MH found the RED-EYED VIREO behind the San Antonio de Padua Church south of Cedar Crest on NM14 in the eastern Sandias. DK found the Red-eyed singing June 23 near the orchard. He also had seven CEDAR WAXWINGS.
      DB on May 22 at the Sandia Memory Gardens cemetery in northeast Albuquerque found a female BRONZED COWBIRD. BN and CR saw a courting pair on June 2.

In Curry County:
      At the Clovis Sewage Ponds be sure to advise them that you are there to bird.

In Socorro County:
      At Bosque del Apache Refuge near San Antonio CL found several VERMILION FLYCATCHERS on the Marsh Loop. JSt on May 30 saw the BELL'S VIREO at Audio Stop 9. CL on June 3 had two CATBIRDS on the seasonal road. JP and WW on June 29 had a LEAST BITTERN at the boardwalk.

In Chaves County:
      JH on Bitter Lake Refuge has had two BURROWING OWLS on Unit 7 through July 2. JP and WW on June 23 had a female HARRIER. JH reported a DICKCISSEL on the west side of Unit 6 on June 27. There were three REDHEADS on June 25.
      JP and WW had one CHIMNEY SWIFT over the NMMI campus in Roswell on June 23.
      West of Dunken JP reported BLACK-CHINNED SPARROWS June 23.

In Grant County:
      RSh on June 14 found a female GREEN KINGFISHER (photo) along the Gila River near the Bird Area on FS land near Bill Evans Lake on the road from Cliff. Where the road splits (to the lake) take the dirt road along the rio and go about 5 miles to an overlook. Contact him for directions at 388-3441.
      RS had a ZONE-TAILED HAWK at Bitter Creek on June 23. This canyon is reached only from the Duncan, AZ side.
      At Cherry and McMillan Campgrounds north of Pinos Altos KSo eported a calling PYGMY OWL on June 19.
      DFr had an ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD in her Silver City yard on June 21. RM saw a male RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD in the Los Griegos section of the city on July 1.

In Hidalgo County:
      NP and MB on June 27 had a BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHER in the Arizona part of Guadalupe Canyon 3/4 of a mile west of the N.M. border and in the area of the corral. Searches by JP, JO, WW, and others did not find the gnatcatchers on June 30. In the canyon they recorded four GRAY HAWKS, two ZONE-TAILED HAWKS, up to 15 BROAD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRDS, two VIOLET-CROWNED HUMMINGBIRDS, one calling MONTEZUMA QUAIL, and a singing male VARIED BUNTING. Another Zone-tailed Hawk was at Dunnagan's Crossing on June 29.
      CL and CBr on June 24 had up to three ZONE-TAILED HAWKS in Clanton Canyon with three LONG-EARED OWLS at the camp site. At the Blackwater Hole in the canyon there were two PYGMY OWLS.
      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:
      On June 11 LM at the wastewater ponds in Deming had 18 adult and 39 young MEXICAN MALLARDS with a BARN OWL. On June 20 he had breeding BLACK-NECKED STILTS WITH 42 female WILSON'S PHALAROPES.
      Katfish Kove is no longer open to birders.

In Doña Ana County:
      In Fillmore Canyon in the Organ Mts. near the La Cueva Picnic area on June 30 CL, JZ, MS, and DG had two LAZULI BUNTINGS and three INDIGO BUNTINGS with two PEREGRINE FALCONS flying by.
      JZ reported an immature male AMERICAN REDSTART at their feeder near Radium Springs on July 1.
      DJ has had up to nine BURROWING OWLS at his home in La Mesa.

In Otero County:
      CL on June 16-17 in Scott Able Canyon of the Sacramento Mts. saw a RED-FACED WARBLER and up to four GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS. Near the east end of the canyon he found four PURPLE MARTINS along Agua Chiquita Rd.
      At the Holloman Lakes JP and WW found on June 23 15 WILSON'S PHALAROPES.
      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 at the point north of the state park a SNOWY PLOVER and two LEAST TERNS. On June 22 JP and WW saw the two terns, and a female HARRIER.
      At Rattlesnake Springs JP and WW on June 22 had a GRAY HAWK and a singing male INDIGO BUNTING.
      JTa on June 20 had a GRAY VIREO in Slaughter Canyon.

- Initials Used:

      MB, Matt Baumann; DB, Devin Bosler; CBr, Charles Britt; DC, David Cleary; RD, Rob Doster; RDu, Ron Duffy; PF, Pat Franklin; DF, Denise Friedrich; DG, David Griffin; MH, Michael Hilchey; JH, Jeff Howland; DJ, Don Jurkowski; DK, David Krueper; CL, Carl Lundblad; LM, Larry Malone; RM, Rich Mathews; BN, Bruce Neville; JO, Jerry Oldenettel; JP, John Parmeter; NP, Nick Pederson; CR, Chris Rustay; HS, Hart Schwarz; MS, Marcy Scott, RS, Robert Shantz; RSh, Roland Shook: KSo, Krista Sorra; JSt, James Stuart; JTa, Jerry Tangren; JT, John Trochet; BW, Bill West; WW, Bill Wittman; EW, Eleanor Wootten; JZ, Jimmy Sabriskie.

- Field Trips

Central Audubon in Albuquerque has Thursday field trips. On July 12 the trip is a hike on the 10K Trail in the Sandias with Mary Lou Arthur, 299-2565, on July 19 to the Simms Ranch and Bonnie Long's home in the Manzano Mts. for a potluck lunch, 379-1985. The July 26 trip has been cancelled.

The trip for Sangre de Cristo Audubon on Saturday, July 22 is to Capulin Springs in the Sandias. Contact Gary and Carol Johnson at 466-1303.

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.

- 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.