Evening Grosbeak at backyard feeder - 1-27-14

Male Evening Grosbeak with female behind. These are the first grosbeaks I've seen at the feeders since last fall.  It's been a mild winter and they are scarce so far.

Interesting Common Raven behavior, plus Ferruginous Hawk and Townsend's Solitaire, Santa Fe County, NM - 1-26-26

The always stunning Ferruginous Hawk

The always dapper Townsend's Solitaire. This is a common winter resident in Pinyon/Juniper forest (5,500 to 8,000 feet).

Common Raven striking a handsome pose

All puffed up!

Unfortunate wind gust!

Interacting with each other

Bill touching

Preening each other

Preening each other

Preening each other

Preening each other

"Hey, someone is looking, be cool."

Grabbing each other's bills!

 Tender bill tapping

Squabbling!

More squabbling!

These two Common Ravens were hanging out at a gas station and were waiting for folks to stuff their garbage from their vehicles in an overstuffed trash can. While they were waiting they alternately preened each other, fought, tapped their bills together, did feeding behavior, and just plain posed. Interesting. Last I saw them they were flying off with what was left of someone's road food :-(

Western Scrub-Jay in my yard near Santa Fe, NM 1-24-14

This was taken just after dawn and this jay was growing impatient for some peanut butter suet! Western Scrub-Jay may be split again one day with the intermountain race becoming Woodhouse's Jay.

Western Meadowlark view from the bottom! 1-21-14

Western Meadowlark

Took this shot in southern Santa Fe County this morning. I like it because it shows the nice whitish flanks they acquire by winter (more streaking in summer). It also shows the yellow malar (typically white in Eastern Meadowlark).

Male Eurasian Wigeon, Santa Fe, NM 1-20-14

Male Eurasian Wigeon (right), Male American Wigeon (left), Female/Young Male American Wigeon (foreground)

This is the first record for Santa Fe County. It was first found on 1/10/14 by a local resident of the golf course. The flock of approximately 200 ducks (mostly wigeon, but some buffleheads, one female canvasback, 4 redheads, and a couple shovelers) disappeared for over a week before showing back up this morning. I was fortunate enough to get a chance to come see this stunning male and get some pics.

When I got the call that the wigeon was back I was 65 miles away in southern Santa Fe County taking pics of Ferruginous Hawks. Got some pics of the hawks PLUS my 299th life Santa Fe County Bird!

Ferruginous Hawk in extreme southern Santa Fe County

Female Canvasback

Gray Jay on Aspen Vista Trail, Santa Fe County, NM 1-19-14

The goal this morning was to find a pair of northern three-toed woodpeckers, but the wind was howling up on the ridge (11,200 feet) where they were seen yesterday. I'll try again soon, but for now will have to be satisfied with this obliging Gray Jay. It was one of a "family" of 5. I love to listen to their myriad of bizarre calls. 

It wasn't very birdy in the wind. The only other birds were 1 brown creeper, 13 mountain chickadees, 1 Stellar's jay, 1 western scrub-jay and a few ravens high overhead. 

Gray Jay 

Weekend Sangre de Christo Audubon Trip to Melrose Woods, Clovis, and Fort Sumner, NM - 9/27- 29/2013

Starting on Friday, September 27th, I led a group of hardy and eager birders from Santa Fe for a weekend of fabulous birding in eastern NM.  We birded our way down through the ag fields of southern Santa Fe County, down through Santa Rosa, and straight on over to the one and only Melrose Migrant Trap. This small area of cottonwoods stands out in the middle of a vast area of barren plains and attracts multitudes rarities. We didn't get a mega-rarity at Melrose, but enjoyed not one, but TWO Flammulated Owls.  

We birded long and hard each day hitting a multitude of areas in DeBaca, Roosevelt, and Curry Counties. It was a great weekend of birding and we were rewarded with lots of great views of some awesome birds.   

The List:                        

1. Gadwall - 1
2. American Wigeon - 40
3. Mallard - 49
4. Blue-winged Teal - 56
5. Cinnamon Teal - 2
6. Northern Shoveler - 44
7. Northern Pintail -  21
8. Green-winged teal - 203
9. Ruddy Duck - 57
10. Wild Turkey - 3
11. Pied-billed Grebe - 1
12. Eared Grebe - 6
13. Double-crested Cormorant - 4
14. Great Blue Heron - 1
15. Great Egret - 2
16. Black-crowned Night-Heron - 7
17. Turkey Vulture - 33
18. Osprey - 1
19. Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1
20. Cooper's Hawk - 3
21. Swainson's Hawk - 27
22. Red-tailed Hawk - 7
23. American Coot - 400
24. Killdeer - 30
25. Black-necked Stilt - 1
26. American Avocet - 52
27. Spotted Sandpiper - 2
28. Greater Yellowlegs - 13
29. Lesser Yellowlegs - 2
30. Long-billed Dowitcher - 4
31. Ring-billed Gull - 1
32. Rock Pigeon - 140
33. Eurasian Collared-Dove - 96
34. White-winged Dove - 1
35. Mourning Dove - 180
36. Flammulated Owl - 2
37. Burrowing Owl - 7
38. Common Poorwill - 2
39. Black-chinned Hummingbird - 2
40. Broad-tailed Hummingbird - 1
41. Red-headed Woodpecker - 2
42. Red-naped Sapsucker - 4
43. Ladder-backed Woodpecker - 3
44. Hairy Woodpecker - 1
45. Northern Flicker - 31
46. American Kestrel - 16
47. Merlin - 1
48. Peregrine Falcon - 3
49. Olive-sided Flycatcher - 2
50. Western Wood-Pewee - 12
51. Willow Flycatcher - 1
52. Hammond's Flycatcher - 2
53. Gray Flycatcher - 2
54. Dusky Flycatcher - 3
55. Cordilleran Flycatcher - 1
56. Say's Phoebe - 8
57. Vermilion Flycatcher - 1
58. Cassin's Kingbird - 11
59. Western Kingbird - 9
60. Scissor-tailed Flycatcher - 15
61. Loggerhead Shrike - 1
62. Plumbeous Vireo - 1
63. Pinyon Jay - 26
64. Blue Jay - 3
65. Western Scrub-Jay - 6
66. American Crow - 4
67. Chihuahuan Raven - 26
68. Common Raven - 26
69. Horned Lark - 9
70. Tree Swallow - 26
71. Violet-green Swallow - 4
72. Northern Rough-winged Swallow - 2
73. Bank Swallow - 1
74. Cliff Swallow - 20
75. Barn Swallow - 840
76. Juniper Titmouse - 1
77. Red-breasted Nuthatch - 4
78. Rock Wren - 4
79. House Wren - 1
80. Bewick's Wren - 1
81. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 2
82. Golden-crowned Kinglet - 1
83. Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 20
84. Western Bluebird - 2
85. Townsend's Solitaire - 14
86. Hermit Thrush - 2
87. American Robin - 3
88. Sage Thrasher - 1
89. Curve-billed Thrasher - 3
90. European Starling - 71
91. Orange-crowned Warbler - 35
92. Common Yellowthroat - 1
93. Yellow Warbler - 2
94. Yellow-rumped Warbler - 68
95. Townsend's Warbler - 2
96. Wilson's Warbler - 28
97. Spotted Towhee - 1
98. Canyon Towhee - 2
99. Chipping Sparrow - 11
100. Clay-colored Sparrow - 1
101. Vesper Sparrow - 6
102. Lark Sparrow - 1
103. Lark Bunting - 1
104. Lincoln's Sparrow - 1
105. White-crowned Sparrow - 5
106. Western Tanager - 3
107. Lazuli Bunting - 3
108. Dickcissel - 1
109. Red-winged Blackbird - 53
110. Western Meadowlark - 1
111. Yellow-headed Blackbird - 56
112. Brewer's Blackbird - 1,425
113. Common Grackle - 9
114. Great-tailed Grackle - 345
115. Brown-headed Cowbird - 150
116. House Finch - 100
117. House Sparrow - 190

Great Raptor Morning on Sangre de Christo Audubon Field Trip 1-12-14

Wind blown Ferruginous Hawk 

"Prairie" race of Merlin

I led the first annual field trip to the agricultural fields of southern Santa Fe County on Sunday, 1-12-14. The forecast was for westerly winds at 25 gusting to 40 mph! 

We got an early start and conditions were calm until exactly 10:00 a.m. when suddenly the winds started to howl. 

We stopped at the tiny village of Lamy where the target bird was a staked out slate-colored junco (rare in north central NM). We found it with no problem and everyone had a good look. 

Next we plunged about 25 miles south into the ag fields where, at our first stop, we were stunned to get great views of a dark morph rough-legged hawk circling overhead! My camera was sitting on the front seat of my car - when will I learn! In my opinion a dark morph "roughie" is one of the more stunning raptors in the world.

We continued driving down lots of lonely farm roads and were treated to wonderful views of both ferruginous and red-tailed hawks, a prairie falcon and the "prairie" race of a Merlin, an adult male northern harrier, an adult male Cooper's hawk, American kestrels, and a surprisingly out-of-place adult bald eagle! A raptor in their own right we also saw a couple loggerhead shrikes.

The forecast was pretty accurate and by 11:00 the wind was nearly unbearable. After finding a flock of sandhill cranes we decided to call it a day; and a good day it was!

1. Ferruginous Hawk - 2
2. Red-tailed Hawk - 3
3. Rough-legged Hawk - 1
4. American Kestrel - 2
5. Prairie Falcon - 1
6. Merlin - 1
7. Cooper's Hawk - 1
8. American Bald Eagle - 1
9. Sandhill Crane - 41
10. White-winged Dove - 4
11. Eurasian Collared-Dove - 7
12. Rock Pigeon - 3
13. European Starling - 50
14. White-breasted Nuthatch - 1
15. Western Scrub-Jay - 3
16. Pinyon Jay - 40
17. Western Meadowlark - 1
18. Horned Lark - 100
19. Northern Flicker - 4
20. Ladder-backed Woodpecker - 2
21. Common Raven - 30
22. Chihuahuan Raven - 5
23. American Crow - 75
24. Song Sparrow - 4
25. White-crowned Sparrow - 24
26. Townsend's Solitaire - 2
27. Mountain Bluebird - 1
28. Western Bluebird - 8
29. Curve-billed Thrasher - 1
30. Canyon Towhee - 3
31. Spotted Towhee - 1
32. Brewer's Blackbird - 40
33. Red-winged Blackbird - 1
34. Dark-eyed Junco - 23
35. American Goldfinch - 4
36. House Finch - 10
37. House Sparrow - 10

Male Common Merganser, immature male Common Goldeneyes, and an immature Bald Eagle along an icy Rio Grande River this morning. Santa Fe County, NM 1/7/14

Immature Bald Eagle

Male Common Merganser

Immature Common Goldeneyes

Snow Buntings at Huguenot Memorial Park, Duval County, Florida 12-28-13. Arctic birding at its best!