New Mexico (Statewide) RBA
March 31, 2011
Date: Thu, 31 Mar 2011 07:36:17 -0700
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Subject: [BIRDWEST] NM RBA 3/31/2011
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New Mexico Rare Bird Report
March 31, 2011
Compiler: Matt J. Baumann
Phone: 505-264-1052
E-mail address: mb687@yahoo.com
This is the New Mexico Rare Bird Report for March 31, 2011, sponsored by
the New Mexico Ornithological Society. When phone numbers are given for
private property, please call before going to ask for permission. In
ranch country, do not stray off the roads. Places mentioned in the report,
a checklist of N.M. birds, and more locations on uncommon and specialty
species can be found in the N.M. Bird Finding Guide. You can purchase the
NM Bird Finding Guide at
http://www.nmbirds.org/?page_id=83. A more complete, updated version of
the checklist can be found at http://www.nmbirds.org/?page_id=1666 for
prior records of species in New Mexico, search the online archive of the
NMOS Field Notes at http://nhnm.unm.edu/partners/nmos/index.html or refer
to prior RBA’s and reports on the AZ/NM listserv at
http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdwg05.html. For photos of
rarities and directions to some birding sites, check
http://sites.google.com/site/oldenettelspage or the New Mexico Rarities
Group on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/groups/nmrarities/. NMOS is now
on Facebook, search for New Mexico Ornithological Society.
The following link provides a list of the review species in New Mexico
http://www.nmbirds.org/wp-content/reviewlist20072.pdf. Details for any of
these species or species not on the checklist should be sent to Dr. Sartor
O. Williams, III, 1819 Meadowview NW, Albuquerque, NM, 87104 or to
sunbittern@earthlink.net. Details will be used for the Bird Records
Committee, North American Birds and the NMOS Field Notes.
Birds Mentioned and Counties:
Long-tailed Duck (Luna)
RED-THROATED LOON (Chaves)
White-tailed Kite (Dona Ana, Hidalgo, Socorro)
Eastern Winter Wren (Bernalillo, Sandoval)
Gray Catbird (Dona Ana, Sandoval)
EASTERN TOWHEE (Santa Fe)
RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW (Hidalgo)
Fox Sparrow (Socorro)
Golden-crowned Sparrow (Bernalillo)
Hooded Oriole (Dona Ana)
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (Bernalillo)
Black Rosy-Finch (Bernalillo)
Brown-capped Rosy-Finch (Bernalillo)
BERNALILLO County:
Wolf and Rustay reported an eastern WINTER WREN at the Ojito de San
Antonio open space north of Tijeras February 20 and 21.
All three ROSY-FINCH species, including several Hepburn’s, are currently
at Sandia Crest. Follow this link to see current Rosy-Finch status at the
crest: http://www.rosyfinch.com/. If the flag is still waving the finches
are still being seen.
Ashli and Larry Gorbet found a GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW at the Embudito
Canyon Trailhead on January 1. Most recently Krueper reported two GOLENN-
CROWNED SPARROWS in Embudito March 28.
CHAVES County:
Rustay reported a RED-THROATED LOON at Lea Lake March 26. Lea Lake is the
southernmost lake at Bottomless Lakes SP. Stephen Smith reported the loon
was still present March 30.
DONA ANA County:
Zabriskie and Scott reported a HOODED ORIOLE in their Radium Springs yard
March 30.
Castetter reported a WHITE-TAILED KITE at Rio Grande State Park March 25,
Castetter has a continuing GRAY CATBIRD in his Las Cruces yard present
since late fall. His address is 4520 Sells Place.
HIDALGO County:
Rustay and Hetrick reported a WHITE-TAILED KITE five miles south of Animas
March 5. Lundblad, Britt and Griffin reported a copulating pair of WHITE-
TAILED KITES in the southern Animas Valley.
Pederson and Batkin found a RUFOUS-WINGED SPARROW in Guadalupe Canyon on
January 3. The bird was just a couple hundred feet down canyon from the
main fencing delineating the fields around the ranch house. The road
forks here, with the left road heading towards the ranch house. Some of
the ranch buildings are visible from this location. NOTE: PLEASE DO NOT
APPROACH THE RANCH HOUSE BEYOND THE START OF THE FENCED FIELDS AND
CORRALS. A short ways to the right (south) of the fork in the road is a
small fence-like structure at the base of the south slope. The fence is
about 6 feet tall and appears to be made of old tree branches. The fence
is enclosing some equipment, possibly a water source, as sparrows seemed
to be congregating here. Type these coordinates into GoogleMaps:
31.367468, -109.024523. The green arrow is at the fork in the road. The
Rufous-winged Sparrow was initially heard vocalizing from the south side
of the road around 11 AM. It often flew to the area around the wooden
fence. Most of the time it was perched up in mesquites and often was
heard singing. Parmeter, Vanbuskirk, and Wittman refound the bird on
January 5, but it was very secretive and did not sing. Rustay reported
one, probably two, continuing sparrows in the same area March 6. Lundblad,
Britt and Griffin reported one singing sparrow in the same area March 20.
LUNA County:
Larry Malone reported a LONG-TAILED DUCK at the Deming Sewage ponds March
5. Owings reported that the apparent first year male duck still present
March 25.
OTERO County:
One can walk past the gate to Stinky Lake at the Holloman Lakes, but not
drive in and can still bird there. MT on June 3 reported Lagoon G still
closed, with many of the salt cedars removed.
SANDOVAL County:
Howe reported a GRAY CATBIRD in the Corrales bosque March 6. The catbird
was in a stand of pyracantha along the Corrales Lateral Canal near the end
of La Entrada rd across from barrel 3.3. Lannois Neely reported that she
and Jenge re-found the catbird in the same area March 22. He also reported
an eastern WINTER WREN at barrel 3.5 the same day. Parmeter had an eastern
WINTER WREN near this location March 20.
SANTA FE County:
Batkin photographed a female EASTERN TOWHEE near Madrid November 1. Lawry
Sager had originally found this bird in mid-October. Lawry Sager had the
towhee again November 11 a few yards off the highway. RM and BW reported
the towhee November 18 on Opera rd. Directions are as follows: In Madrid,
if you are heading south on Highway 14, the Mine Shaft Tavern will be on
your left after you have gone through most of the business district. On
the opposite side of the road, almost immediately past the tavern, is an
unmarked, low-lying building that was a car dealership before 1954. It
would be best to park there or at the tavern, because there are almost no
places to park near where the bird has been. The car dealership sits just
east of an arroyo, and running north along the west side of the arroyo is
Opera House Road. Lawry saw the bird on 14 October and yesterday in a tree
between that road and the arroyo. This morning the bird was in a saltbush-
filled lot on the west side of the road about 100 yards north of Highway
14. The field has a junked yellow International parked on it. You are
welcome to bird in that lot. You will notice that there is a footbridge
across the arroyo at that location, and you can cross the arroyo and then
head north on a graded path that goes along the east side of the arroyo.
That is a public greenbelt. You can also walk in the arroyo. Terry Hodapp
and Steve Fettig reported the towhee still present March 6.
SOCORRO County:
Gary Froehlich reported a red FOX SPARROW at Bernardo WMA March 3 and 4.
He said the bird was near the two story observation tower.
Rick Hollis reported a WHITE-TAILED KITE near the entrance at Bosque del
Apache NWR February 10. Janet Bair saw this bird again 1 mile north of the
Bosque del Apache NWR boundary marker on hwy 1 February 26. Hawksworth
reported the kite on the west side of the Marsh Loop at Bosque del Apache
March 12.
Field Trips:
March 31: Pena Blanca and Cochiti Lake
With Rebecca Gracey: 242-3821, maryrebeccagracey@gmail.com
Meet at 8:00 a.m. in the middle of the parking lot in the Far North
shopping center, north of Academy and east of San Mateo. Bring lunch.
Saturday and Sunday, April 9 & 10: Sandia HawkWatch Site
Leader: Roger Grimshaw, rpgbirds@aol.com, 407-319-0280
Visit HawkWatch’s raptor observation site at the peak of migration. Four
falcon species are possible amid the more common Cooper’s & Sharp-shinned
Hawks, as well as Golden Eagles, Goshawks, and others. Meet outside
Starbucks in the Four Hills parking lot (S of Central and W of Tramway) at
8:00 a.m. to carpool for the 10-minute drive to Three Gun Spring trailhead
at Monticello. It’s a 1.5-mile STEEP hike 1,200 feet up to the observation
point. You can take your time on the hike birding along the way but a
reasonable level of fitness is necessary. Bring stout footwear and hiking
poles, at least 2 quarts of water, snacks and lunch, and warm, wind and
waterproof clothing. We should be at “obs” around 10, stay as long as you
wish. In the event of bad weather we’ll do a couple of hours of desert
birding along the trail. (**Coordinator’s Note: There are no longer formal
counts at the Sandia HawkWatch site, so this trip is a great chance to
observe raptor migration with an experienced “HawkWatcher”)
The Rio Grande Nature Center has morning bird walks on Sunday and Saturday
mornings at 8:30 a.m. from the pond at the parking lot.
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