This winter we hoped to visit a couple of different states to look for winter birds. One of those states was New Mexico, but our target birds were slow to arrive, and we'd put the trip off several times. It finally looked like the birds had started to arrive and the weather was going to be pretty decent, so we decided to head on over.
Day 1: We had to wait for an A/C and heater checkup at the house, so we got a late start (9:30 am).
It was a long drive, but
there was little traffic and the speed limit on IH-10 in West Texas is 80 mph! We didn't take the RV for this trip, so we were able to move along faster than usual.
Seven hours later we arrived at Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Roswell, NM. Bitter Lake was established in 1937 to provide winter habitat for migratory birds.
We have been to this refuge several times but never during this time of year.
We arrived at the visitor center at 4:15 to find that it had closed at 4:00. This is a no-fee refuge so we got on the auto tour loop and started birding. The big draw at this time of year is cranes and waterfowl.
There were thousands of Snow Geese coming into the refuge lakes for the night. Most Snow Geese are white, but around 5% are dark. These used to be considered a separate species and are the symbol for National Wildlife Refuges nationwide: The "Blue Goose".
We headed on to dinner and
our hotel for the evening.
Day 2: The next morning we were at the refuge by sun-up (6:30 am). It was cold! We headed over to the area of the lake where the cranes and geese had been the previous evening. As the sun rises the birds fly off of the lake and head out to feed.
The fly-out starts with just a few birds taking off, but eventually builds to the point where thousands of birds are taking off and heading out.
Once the fly-out had finished, we explored the refuge a bit more. It was cold and windy with a little snow falling but we bundled up for a short trail hike.
There are plenty of hawks on the refuge, with one of the most common being the Northern Harrier. This used to be called the Marsh Hawk, as they really like to hunt over grassy marshes.
We enjoyed looks at this pretty little Scaled Quail.
By the time we made it around the auto loop the visitor center was open.
I bought my first magnet
of the year:
This refuge is also famous for having recorded over 100 dragonflies and damselflies species.
We left the refuge around
10:30 and headed to our next destination.
The roads had been plowed and sprayed with deicer.
We got to our next destination - and the focal point of the trip - around 2 pm. It was quite chilly!
Sandia Crest is a mountain
ridge that, at 10,679 feet, is the highpoint of the Sandia–Manzano Mountains.
Our main goal was to see 3
specific birds: Black Rosy-Finch, Brown-capped Rosy-Finch, and Gray-crowned
Rosy-Finch. They are only here during
the winter. We have been watching for them to show up since November. This winter has been slow for birding in many areas.
There was a surprising amount of snow on the ground (at least to us).
The Sandia Crest House (gift shop/visitor center) is not open in the winter but they do have someone fill the bird feeder a couple of times a week.
The weather was a little
strange. If it was windy the wind would
blow snow out of the trees and it would get dark and foggy.
A few minutes later the wind would stop and it would be sunny and clear (but still cold!).
We stayed around for about an hour but didn’t see any of the Rosy-Finches. We did see a few other birds.
Our hotel was about an hour away so we decided to head on down the mountain to Albuquerque and check in, warm up, and get something to eat.
Next time: Another chance
for a Rosy-Finch. Did we get lucky? Follow along and see what we found.
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Traveling with, and without, the RV has pros and cons. I don't love living out of a suitcase but like the ease of getting in the car and going! Going IN to winter is a choice we have to think hard on :)
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to see other quail. All we see here is Gamble's Quail.
This trip probably would have required twice the days had we taken the trailer. All of the hotels were fine and we were moving pretty quickly.
ReplyDeleteI think that Gambel's Quail is the best looking of the bunch! That topknot!!