Sage Sparrows and Crissal Thrasher at Rinconada Canyon

Dry grasses flanked the trail into Rinconada Canyon as 10 Central New Mexico Audubon Thursday Birders started onto the trail in the Petroglyph’s National Monument. The Rinconada Canyon Trail, on the south end of the national monument, traverses sand dunes, and winds through an eroded canyon at the edge of a basaltic lava flow [...]

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Yellow-bellied Sapsucker at Cedro Peak Campground

“Look,” someone called, “there’s a Juniper Titmouse in that tree over there.” It posed momentarily with its jaunty crested head cocked to one side. An American Robin perched on a wire over the arroyo and seemed to be talking to us. In addition to the titmouse and robin, we also spotted Western Bluebirds,White-breasted Nuthatch, [...]

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Warm and Golden at Bosque del Apache

We stopped to peer at a flock of wild turkeys wandering through one of the farms along the Farm-to-Market Road between Socorro and San Antonio. Most of the 25 Central New Mexico Audubon Thursday Birders had drive straight to the Visitors Center at the Bosque del Apache; however, my car and one other decided [...]

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Merlin – Bird of the Day in Embudo Canyon

Everyone was clustered around Rebecca’s scope. I had lagged behind taking a photo of a golden-leafed cottonwood nestled like a beacon in the hillside.
Fourteen Central New Mexico Audubon Thursday Birders were heading back on the Embudo Canyon trail. While clouds still shrouded the mountains and the day started out cold for [...]

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Birding along the Los Angeles River

As a kid growing up in Southern California, the Los Angeles River was always considered a joke – a huge, barren, concrete arroyo with a trickle of water running down the middle. So I was surprised to learn in the past few years that it also has havens of avian habitat.
The river begins [...]

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Fall Birding on Southern California Coast

The morning was cool and clear and a slight breeze wafted across White’s Point off of Palos Verde Peninsula. Before scanning the off-shore rocks, I closed my eyes, took a deep breath of the ocean air and absorbed the sound of the waves lapping against the rocky shore. It was the sound of [...]

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Migrating Birds at Las Vegas NWR

“Looks like all of the perches are taken,” Lee commented as we passed power pole after power pole with a raven or raptor perched on top. Five cars of Central New Mexico Audubon Thursday Birders were on our way to the La Vegas National Wildlife Refuge.
While low clouds hung over the Sangre de Cristo [...]

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Migrating Warblers in the Sandia Mountains

“I hear a Plumbeous Vireo,” someone exclaimed as 24 Central New Mexico Audubon Thursday Birders piled out of our cars. “There it is.”
The vireo was busy gleaning insects as moved quickly and stealthily in the Gambel oak, sometimes obscured behind a leaf. It continued calling as it moved.
“Its call sounds like [...]

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Blue-footed Booby visits New Mexico

It tipped its 62 inch wing-span as it made a loop over the water at the foot of the dam, and then plunged straight down into the water like a torpedo. I was watching a first or second year Blue-footed Booby hunt for its breakfast – an exciting treat at any time, but more [...]

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Late Summer Birding – Isleta and Los Lunas

“Just as I arrived, an adult and juvenile Black-necked Stilt flew into the northern pond.,” trip leader Donna told the 19 Central New Mexico Audubon Thursday Birders as we assembled shortly after 7 a.m. along side the road next to the Isleta Marsh.
Behind us cars zipped by on their way between Los Lunas [...]

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