Ross's Goose at Trout Stalker Ranch and More! Rio Arriba County - March 28, 2015

With a forecast of record warm temperatures and the likelihood of new migrants my friend Wyatt Eglehoff and I headed up to Trout Stalker Ranch in Chama, NM.

Wyatt arrived at my house right on time at 5:00 a.m. and soon we were headed north out of Santa Fe County with much anticipation for what we would find. The temperature at my house was a ridiculously warm 52 degrees F, however as we climbed north into the beautiful Chama River Valley, and toward the San Juan Mountains, it would eventually drop to 27 degrees!

There was little traffic and the drive though the pre-dawn darkness was easy as we winged our way north through Espanola and Abiquiu. The skies north of the Ghost Ranch were stunning as there was little or no moon or any other light to compromise the brilliant views of the stars and especially the Milky Way. It was hard not to stop!

The sun was hitting the highest peaks (pretty impressive sight) as we approached Tierra Amarilla.  I couldn't resist taking the "detour" along the stretch of the Chama River between La Puende and Los Ojos. The sunlight hadn't made its way down to the river yet and it was still chilly, however there was a fair amount of activity. Wyatt's keen ears picked up on a small group of EASTERN BLUEBIRDS calling from the cottonwoods. After a bit of searching we finally were able to observe two females and at least one male. We are hoping they are thinking of breeding here and I'll keep watching. One of the problems the bluebirds face are the large numbers of aggressive EUROPEAN STARLINGS already occupying the limited nesting cavities. 

We got back on Highway 84 and were driving north again when we spotted our first two returning migrants near Los Brazos (spanish for "the arms"). We spotted our FOS OSPREY sitting on a snag along the Brazos River while several TREE SWALLOWS wheeled overhead. 

A little further up the highway we got befuddled for a moment as we observed an immature BALD EAGLE and a RED-TAILED HAWK sitting side by side on the Canones Creek Ranch. It was interesting to compare the differences in structure of these two raptors. 

Always hungry we headed into Chama arriving at the Subway right at 8:00 a.m. The lady that works there recognized me as "the birder!" 

We drove onto the ranch and it was so different! Virtually all the snow had melted, it was actually greening up a bit, and goose pond was completely ice free! It was really beautiful and I wondered just how awesome it would look when all the trees and plants starting bursting out with leaves and flowers.

Unfrozen "Goose Lake" looking north

Goose Lake looking southwest towards woods

Living up to its name "Goose Pond" had over 30 CANADA GEESE! I think we counted a total of 60 geese on the ranch! Along with the geese there several NORTHERN SHOVELERS and a PIED-BILLED GREBE, both new (for me) birds on the ranch. MALLARDS, a couple of GADWALLS, 2 GREEN-WINGED TEAL, 4 RING-NECKED DUCKS, a COMMON MERGANSER, 3 AMERICAN COOT, and 5 GREAT BLUE HERONS (that Wyatt had migrating overhead), rounded out the waterbirds around the pond. Also near the pond were 7 TREE SWALLOWS (which breed on the ranch). The always impressive adult BALD EAGLE was on his favorite perch just north of the lake. SONG SPARROWS were living up to their name too as several were singing loudly from exposed perches.

Pair of Canadians on Goose Lake

Two pairs of Ring-necked Ducks on Goose Lake

Pied-billed Grebe on Goose Lake

Northern Shovelers on Goose Lake

I parked in the extensive woodlands that are situated along both the Chama and Chamita Rivers on the southwest end of the ranch. Wyatt and I walked the entire woods commenting on how great this habitat was - two rivers running through hardwoods with wet bottom lands in-between! We had a pretty good time speculating the possibilities of rarities that could be found here! For now my warbler list stands at one as Wyatt tracked down a YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER we thought was most likely the "myrtle" race. Other birds found at this site included a most cooperative BROWN CREEPER, several CASSIN'S FINCHES, DARK-EYED JUNCOS, and an AMERICAN DIPPER (1 of 3 seen today). A SPOTTED TOWHEE called along the edge of the woods and a couple WESTERN MEADOWLARKS were singing from the meadow beyond.

Brown Creeper - can you find it!

The tiny Brown Creeper showing a bit its gleaming white undersides. 

A little better view of a little bird. This is the second Brown Creeper I've seen on the ranch. 

Our next stop was over by the cabin and the buffalo pasture. A KILLDEER flew across the road as we drove across the pasture lands. Surprisingly there weren't any ducks on the pond next to the cabin, but a noisy and active SAY'S PHOEBE kept us entertained. We stopped to check out a sparrow that flew into a large patch of cattails surrounded by soppy meadow grass. We didn't find the sparrow, but flushed our FOS WILSON'S SNIPE! After taking a bunch of pics of the buffalo we headed over to the northeast end of the ranch and the other impressive woodlands.

The bulls acting a bit playful on the ranch

Buffalo on the move in some nice grassland on ranch

While we were driving over to the north end of the ranch we came across a small herd of 8 Elk crossing the ranch. Another name for Elk is from the Native American Wapiti, which some sources say is a Shawnee word, and literally means "white rump." Makes sense!

Elk crossing road on ranch

Elk on the move across a pasture on the ranch

We caught up with Greg Friday, the ranch's manager and had a really nice visit. How pleasant to talk while being entertained by 2 LEWIS'S WOODPECKERS busily working a tree cavity overhead! Our conversation continued with intermittent "disruptions" by our FOS TURKEY VULTURES, a handsome male RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER, WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCHES, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES, and a RED-TAILED HAWK that seemed very interested in checking out the woods here. 

It was noon, and once again hungry we headed to town to pick-up another snack. We were about to head on over to Heron Lake State Park, but I had this feeling that we should go back on to the ranch and check "Goose Lake" again. Wyatt agreed and soon we were back at the lake. We were scanning it over and were shocked to observe a "white" goose sitting with lots of Canadian Geese on the large island. I started to take pictures as Wyatt got his scope out to confirm what we thought, but couldn't believe, was a ROSS'S GOOSE! I drove up ahead to get closer pics as Wyatt continued to observe and to take some of his own pics too. This bird shouldn't be totally unexpected, but it is considered rare in this part of NM. Also, this date is very late. This bird was a young bird molting into adult plumage as can be seen by the dark smudging on the back of its head and neck. What a great bird for Trout Stalker Ranch!

Ross's Goose and Canada - showing small size!

Ross's Goose showing dusky smudge on back of head and neck indicating a younger bird

Ross's Goose fittingly on "Goose Pond" at Trout Stalker Ranch. Note small bill with no "grin" patch (like on Snow Goose), steep forehead and rounded head, bluish color on base of bill, and small size. 

We drove down to Greg's house and called to tell him about the Ross's, but he had drove up to the lake just after we left and was looking at the Ross's too! Way to go Greg!

See the updated Trout Stalker Ranch checklist of birds for 2015 below!

We finally left the ranch and headed over to Heron Lake. By now it was an unreal 70 degrees F! We went the La Laja boat ramp which is the best place to scan the lake from. As I've mentioned before the very long concrete boat ramp is a long way from the edge of the lake - perhaps 200 meters. Apparently that's all about to change. We drove past huge earth moving equipment parked off to the side. Plus, the area between the end of the ramp and the lake had been roped off marking the perfect outline of an extended ramp!

Soon the heavy equipment will be moving in to extend the La Laja boat ramp down to Heron Lake

For now (and maybe the last time) we enjoyed the warm breeze (well except when it interfered with our observations) and solitude of this spot. The numbers of birds on the lake were very low and they were very far away. Throw in the heat shimmies and gusty wind and presto - extremely tough viewing conditions!

We were dogged and determined! Straining and using more concentration than I'm accustomed to we managed to identify most of the specks out on the lake. Our best bird, and the one that took the most discipline to identify (believe me), was a female GREATER SCAUP (this was a county bird for both Wyatt and I). A small flock of LESSER SCAUP was nearby offering a great comparison to the greater.

Small numbers of RING-BILLED GULLS were scattered here and there along with one CALIFORNIA GULL sitting on a small island (another county bird for me - #152 for Rio Arriba). Wyatt says that California Gulls breed here so hopefully that will be the case this summer. The only other birds we could positively identify were the ever-present Canada Geese and 7 DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS.

There were a small number of ducks scattered across the lake that we had no clue about, but the most frustrating non-id were a fair sized flock of Aechmophorus grebes. I asked Wyatt if it were more likely that they would be Western or Clark's Grebes, and his very well articulated answer was - yes! Okay, I get it! So with that we decided to be happy with our previous hard-fought identifications. All in pretty tough conditions.

We started south around 2:00 p.m. hitting a couple spots along the way. Wyatt had never cruised the 8 miles up CR 512 which ends at Corkin's Lodge. The road starts out along the Brazos River and then slowly climbs up into Ponderosa Pine forest with lots and lots of private in holdings. It seems like you are driving up into a fairly significant alpine area, but in reality you gain less than 200 feet above the village of Chama. The elevation change isn't drastic, but the vast pine forest is. Despite all of it being private land there is lots of good birding from along the road. I'll keep checking this area as breeding birds return. 


The road ends at Corkin's Lodge which owns 1,600 acres at the base of the incredible Brazos Cliffs. Unfortunately access to this property is limited to guests only! That really is too bad because this is where   you start to get into spruce and fir forest and the higher alpine species. 


We worked along the road picking up STELLER'S JAY, PYGMY and WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE, EVENING GROSBEAK, CASSIN'S and HOUSE FINCH, DARK-EYED JUNCO, and PINE SISKIN. 


Our next stop was at the Ghost Ranch which is north of Abiquiu. Our goal was to find a pond that is reported to occasionally have some interesting migrant and breeding species. We never found the pond, but did pick up a FOS for both a CHIPPING SPARROW along with a few WHITE-WINGED DOVES.

After some debate as to what to do next we stopped over at Abiquiu Resevoir. It's just hard to pass up any lake in NM! The warm southerly breezes had moved most of the waterfowl out. We found a few BUFFLEHEADS and several RUDDY DUCKS, but not much else. 

The last stop was at the nearby Chama Recreational Area. This site is amazing. You turn off of highway 96 just east of the dam and head straight down into the gorge on a couple of extremely steep switchbacks. It will be interesting to bird here this spring and summer. There aren't many trees, but I bet lots of birds migrate along this section of the river. We didn't really do much birding as time was running short and the west wall of the canyon was deep in shadow. There were several BLACK PHOEBES along with some ducks on the river including BUFFLEHEAD, MALLARDS, AND GADWALL. 

Rio Chama Recreation Area below Abiquiu Dam. Can you spot the trout fisherman?

The amazing series of switchbacks that take you down into the Rio Chama Gorge

This area used to be part of the Old Spanish Trail!

View from highway down to the recreation area below.

It was another wonderful day birding in Rio Arriba County. The Trout Stalker Ranch was responding to spring and looking really pretty, and the birding there each time is getting better and better. We added several new species to the ranch bringing the year's total to 66 species!

Wyatt and I both added new county birds along with lots of year birds. Wyatt hit the lofty milestone of 200 county birds (the goose was fittingly #200 and the scaup was #201); and I reached the somewhat respectable level of 150 (the goose was #150 and the scaup and California Gull were #151 and #152).  

I'm heading to Florida this week to do some birding there until April 7th. So stay tuned. When I get back I'll be heading straight back to the ranch and I'm sure I'll find the migration in full-swing.

Trout Stalker Bird List - 2/10/15 to 3/28/15 (9 total birding days)

The number following the species is the total number of that particular species seen (without repeat counting). Species in bold represent a bird that is either rare and/or was seen in unusually high numbers. 

1. Ross's Goose - 1
2. Canada Goose - 62
3. Gadwall - 2
4. Mallard - 12
5. Northern Shoveler - 4
6. Green-winged Teal - 7
7. Ring-necked Duck - 8
8. Bufflehead - 1
9. Common Goldeneye - 7
10. Common Merganser - 11
11. Wild Turkey - 14
12. Pied-billed Grebe - 1
13. Great Blue Heron - 7
14. Turkey Vulture - 2
15. Bald Eagle - 3
16. Red-tailed Hawk - 4
17. American Coot - 2
18. Killdeer - 2
19. Wilson's Snipe - 1
20. Ring-billed Gull - 1
21. Rock Pigeon - 4
22. Eurasian Collared-Dove - 1
23. White-winged Dove - 2
24. Great Horned Owl - 2
25. Lewis's Woodpecker - 3
26. Red-naped Sapsucker - 1
27. Downy Woodpecker - 1
28. Northern Flicker - 7
29. American Kestrel - 3
30. Say's Phoebe - 3
31. Pinion Jay - 3
32. Stellar's Jay - 2
33. Western Scrub-Jay - 6
34. Black-billed Magpie - 14
35. Clark's Nutcracker - 3
36. American Crow - 12
37. Common Raven - 25
38. Horned Lark - 4
39. Tree Swallow - 7
40. Black-capped Chickadee - 9
41. Mountain Chickadee - 3
42. White-breasted Nuthatch - 4
43. Brown Creeper - 2
44. American Dipper - 4
45. Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1
46. Western Bluebird - 8
47. Mountain Bluebird - 4
48. Townsend's Solitaire - 3
49. American Robin - 16
50. European Starling - 12
51. Yellow-rumped Warbler - 1
52. Spotted Towhee - 3
53. Song Sparrow - 12
54. American Tree Sparrow - 14
55. Harris's Sparrow - 2
56. Dark-eyed Junco - 16
57. Red-winged Blackbird - 37
58. Western Meadowlark - 5
59. Brewer's Blackbird - 4
60. Great-tailed Grackle - 5
61. Pine Grosbeak - 1
62. Cassin's Finch - 8
63. American Goldfinch - 2
64. Evening Grosbeak - 3
65. Pine Siskin - 44
66. House Sparrow - 3

Evening Grosbeaks, Ferruginous Hawks, Chestnut-collared and McCown's Longspurs and more! Santa Fe County, NM 3/26/15

It was a good morning watching my backyard feeders! They were slammed with CASSIN'S and HOUSE FINCHES, EVENING GROSBEAKS, PINE SISKINS, JUNIPER TITMICE, CANYON AND SPOTTED TOWHEES, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS, DARK-EYED JUNCOS, WESTERN SCRUB-JAYS, SCALED QUAILS, WESTERN BLUEBIRDS, AMERICAN ROBINS, CURVE-BILLED THRASHERS, WHITE-WINGED, EURASIAN COLLARED AND MOURNING DOVES, COMMON RAVENS, AMERICAN CROWS, BEWICK'S WREN, BUSHTIT, and last, but not least, NORTHERN (red-shafted) FLICKER.

Male Cassin's Finch

Table full of Cassin's

Male Evening Grosbeak and Cassin's Finches

Male Evening Grosbeak

Male grosbeak

Female Evening Grosbeak

Grosbeaks and finches

Western Scrub-Jay

Thistle sock full of Pine Siskins

White-winged Dove

It was hard to stop watching from the comforts of the house, but I around noon I took off for the 40 miles drive to the ag fields of southern Santa Fe County.

There wasn't a whole lot going on as I cruised around freshly plowed fields. For one thing it's still a bit early in spring and also the area is really dry as the farmers aren't irrigating yet.

That said there were lots of singing WESTERN MEADOWLARKS, several male SAYS PHOEBES duking it out for prime territory, several FERRUGINOUS HAWKS both on territory and migrating, including a stunningly beautiful dark morph, LOGGERHEAD SHRIKES, and dozens and dozens of both CHIHUAHUAN and COMMON RAVENS!

Also seen was a Vesper Sparrow bringing my Santa Fe County year list to 114.

The birds of the day, however, were a flock of Chestnut-collared and McCown's Longspurs I found feeding along a farm road! I shouldn't have been surprised as it was just a year ago there was a large flock of all three longspurs just a short distance away (see my post of 4/1/14).

I got some pics of both species, but, as you will see they are terrible as I had to shoot through glass (the feeder pics are through dirty glass too) and the light is very harsh...etc etc :-)

Molting Chestnut-collared Longspur

Three stages of Chestnut-collared Longspurs

Male Chestnut-collared Longspur

Molting Chestnut-collared Longspur

Molting Chestnut-collared Longspur

Two more Chestnut-collareds

Couple More Migrants Today in Santa Fe County, NM - Black Phoebe and Ring-billed Gull, 3/22/15

Since yesterday morning was so productive decided to do the same thing. This time Carol came with me and we left the house at 8:00 a.m. arriving at the ag fields in southern Santa Fe County 45 minutes later.

The goal was to find a gull, any gull! Amazingly we came upon a RING-BILLED GULL at sloppy area near a cattle water tank. Also at this spot was a BLACK PHOEBE. Pretty good, two year birds in one stop!

Ring-billed Gull over ag field in southern Santa Fe County

Handsome adult Ring-billed Gull - rare, but regular in Santa Fe County

Not the best picture of my FOS Black Phoebe

Those would be the only new year birds of the day, but it was a great day with lots of birds. The LONG-BILLED CURLEW was practically standing in the same exact spot and there were at least 3 nearby BURROWING OWLS.

In case you are wondering I did check the Ferruginous Hawk nest and the amazingly beautiful dark morph was sitting on the nest!

It was fun to drive around and listening to all the song - LONG-BILLED THRASHERS, WESTERN MEADOWLARKS, SAY'S PHOEBES, and LOGGERHEAD SHRIKES.

Other migrants arriving included a female NORTHERN HARRIER, several KILLDEERS, and a flock of 12 SAVANNAH SPARROWS.

After cruising the fields we decided (well I decided and Carol was a good sport) to cut through the scenic San Pedro and Oritz Mountains and over to the far west side of Santa Fe County and check out  some golf course ponds. It's always fun to drive up the Turquoise Trail and through eclectic village of Madrid which is very popular with tourists.

I did a power hike of several of the ponds and it was obvious that the puddle ducks were clearing out. However, there were still a fair number of birds which included a few GADWALL, 30+ AMERICAN WIGEON, 5 RUDDY DUCKS, 10 RING-BILLED DUCKS, 8 BUFFLEHEAD, 4 COMMON MERGANSER, 6 MALLARDS, 6 GREEN-WINGED TEAL, 9 REDHEADS, and 4 LESSER SCAUP.

Male Gadwall on one of the west side golf course ponds.

Another great morning spent birding. My Santa Fe County year list is now 113.

Celebrating Spring In Santa Fe County, NM Today With Prairie Falcon, Long-billed Curlew, Burrowing Owls And More! - March 21, 2015

It's been a while since I cruised the agricultural fields in southern Santa Fe County and since spring has sprung I wanted to see if any migrants were around. I wasn't disappointed! There is a tiny area of water associated with a large cattle pen that I affectionately call the "slop hole." Some great birds have shown up here including Sabine's Gull, Semipalmated and White-rumped Sandpipers, and Whimbrel. 

Nothing quite that sexy today, but I was happy to find a pair of PINTAIL, a pair of SHOVELERS, a lone GREEN-WINGED TEAL, and a couple of KILLDEERS. As I was walking back to my car a MERLIN zipped low over my head!

I headed over to check on a Ferruginous Hawk next that has been used for years. I had no expectations as not only is the nest in complete disarray, but the huge Russian Olive Tree its in is dead. That said I couldn't believe it, there were two ferrugs at the nest and one of them was a stunningly gorgeous dark morph! If they stick I'm really going to enjoy monitoring the next this year!

Dark morph Ferruginous Hawk 

Dark morph Ferruginous Hawk flying away - note the white tail and wing panels

Just a little further down the road I checked a large prairie dog colony and was happy that the BURROWING OWLS are already returning. There may have been more, but it was still around freezing so I felt happy to find two. 

Continuing down the same road I noticed a large number of MALLARDS and a LONG-BILLED CURLEW feeding in a wet field. Spring is here! A CURVE-BILLED THRASHER was singing with great enthusiasm from the top of a hedgerow. 

Long-billed Curlew

Other notable arrivals were SAY'S PHOEBES and LOGGERHEAD SHRIKES. Not to be outdone was a very early SWAINSON'S HAWK! 

I stopped near the county line to check out a cluster of trees for owls. No owl, but there was a RED-TAILED HAWK and two very noisy COMMON RAVENS who kept circling overhead. I presume I was too close to their nest.  A pair of KESTRELS were in the area along with several vociferous WESTERN MEADOWLARKS. 

Feeling lucky I decided to drive the eleven miles on White Lakes Road, that runs west to east between Highway 41 and US 285. This road is usually quality over quantity and that was the case today. There were the usual HORNED LARKS, but little else, until that is I came across a very obliging PRAIRIE FALCON sitting on a telephone pole - I'll take it!

Prairie Falcon

It was a great morning of birding and pretty cool way to kick off spring 2015 birding. I picked up 6 year birds bringing my 2015 Santa Fe County list to 111. 

Birding the Rio Grande River at Buckman, Santa Fe County - March 14, 2015

I headed down to the Rio Grande River in Santa Fe County if for no other reason because this was my first Saturday off after 30 years working for Uncle Sam! The main reason, however, is because this has become an exceptional area to go birding. The USFS has done a marvelous job of cleaning it up and keeping everyone out except those that really respect what has been done here.

The birding was a bit slow, but the hike along the river was awesome. I was there about three hours and never saw a soul! Most of the waterfowl had moved out, but I did see a flock of BUFFLEHEADS, a few COMMON GOLDENEYES, numerous MALLARDS, and 2 AMERICAN WIGEONS.

Landbirds were tough to come by except for a couple hundred AMERICAN ROBINS and a small flock of CEDAR WAXWINGS.

This area is only going to get better and better as the native vegetion grows back and replaces the now removed exotic stuff.

Rio Grande River at Buckman

Riparian area along the Rio Grande in Santa Fe County and a few of the Siberian Elms that were girdled

My lonely car at the gate. This is a far cry from the dozens of off-road vehicles that plagued this area until recently.

One of the Cedar Waxwings at the Rio Grande in Santa Fe County

Trip to Trout Stalker Ranch and Northern Rio Arriba County, NM - March,18,19, 2015

My last day of work was 3/16/2015 so to celebrate my wife Carol and I decided to spend a couple days exploring the area around Chama, NM. Carol isn't really a birder, and this was evident by our extremely casual departure of 8:15 a.m.! But hey, it's alright, I'm retired now!

We stopped for gas in Espanola where we filled up for $1.99 a gallon! I'm guessing this will be the last time, maybe ever, that gas under two bucks will be found. 

Our first stop was at Abiquiu Lake. It was plenty scenic, but most of the birds that my friend Wyatt and I had found just a few days ago were absent. 

Serene Abiquiu lake on morning of March 19th

As we were driving north Carol mentioned the Monastery that sits along the Chama River about 13 miles northwest of Highway 84. I told her that I had been tempted to drive down there and that today was as good a day as any. 

We turned down Forest road 151 and soon were winding down a winding and dusty road with dazzling scenery at every turn. Most of the birds we were seeing along the way were MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS and HORNED LARKS. After about 5 miles we reached the Chama River Gorge and soon dropped down along the river. The views were magnificent. This area is managed by the Santa Fe National Forest and there are plenty of places to park and hike, plus one primitive and one slightly more developed campsite - http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/santafe/recarea/?recid=75502 - We didn't stop and bird all that much because we were anxious to get to the monastery, but it was obvious that this would be a great place to explore in spring, summer and fall. Lots and lots of cottonwoods! The most prevalent birds were TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRES, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES, GREAT BLUE HERON, BUSHTITS, AND DARK-EYED JUNCOS. 

Forest Road 151 leading to Chama Wild and Scenic River and Monastery

"Big Eddy" one of the Santa Fe NF Chama Wild and Scenic River accesses

Part of Chama Wild and Scenic River - great views and birding too!

The going was a bit slow as the road made numerous sharp turns and it wasn't very wise to speed around corners on loose gravel. Especially seeing that at times the drop off was 100 feet or more! We arrived at the Monastery at Christ in the Desert around 12:30. Carol started walking the several hundred yards from the parking area to the church complex while I tried my luck at finding a Canyon Wren. I played a recording briefly and almost immediately two very loud CANYON WREN songs came cascading down the nearby cliffs - a county bird!

Entrance into monastery

Monastery sign

Distant view of monastery (from edge of Chama) and towering cliffs - home to Canyon Wrens!

The monastery complex was very lovely, and, well, quiet. Carol enjoyed exploring the church and especially the gift shop! It takes a little effort to get here, but the journey through the beautiful Chama Wild and Scenic River and capped off by a neat experience at the monastery is well worth it. The monastery does have public hours daily and is free admission. The monastery is on private land and it is important to respect the monk's privacy. There is also lodging if you are looking for a secluded and unique experience. More information can be found at - http://christdesert.org

Monastery chapel

View from inside chapel - nice!

Carol in front of chapel

I turned left off of Highway 84 at Tierra Amarilla and along the wet meadows that lead down to La Puende. We turned onto CR 340 that runs along an amazing stretch of the Chama River and then up to Los Ojos. Along the way we observed a LEWIS'S WOODPECKER, several GADWALLS, AMERICAN WIGEON, GREEN-WINGED TEALS, and an amazingly beautiful male CINNAMON TEAL which was also a county bird for me. We drove by Tierra Wools, but decided to stop and take the tour this famous establishment tomorrow.

We made our way back out to Highway 84 and headed into Chama to enjoy lunch at the spacious Subway that always has friendly service along with wifi! We got our sandwiches to go and stopped over at the Elkhorn Lodge to reserve a room for the night. We met Emily, who is the owner's daughter and manages the site. We got checked in, grabbed the key, and were off again, this time to Heron Lake. By this time it was overcast and the wind was really picking up. We stopped at the La Laja Boat Ramp to scope over the lake, but there were virtually no birds.

La Laja boat ramp at Heron Lake where officials don't have to worry about folks fishing from the dock - now far from the shore! However, its a great place to scan for water birds.

After Heron Lake we hopped over the short distance to the El Vada State Park boat ramp, which is the extreme northern part of the lake. In best of times this boat ramp can only be used during high water. Like so many other boat ramps in New Mexico and the west in general this one was HIGH and DRY! It was a stunning view to see that the the entire north half of the lake was dry and barren and had been so for some time! The Chama River was still flowing through the vast empty flats. It reminded me of the vast deltas in Alaska. Needless to say there weren't many birds, but we managed to find a GREAT BLUE HERON, a COMMON GOLDENEYE hunting in the rapids of the river, and several MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS. We wondered what the people were thinking from their expensive homes perched on the cliffs above the now dry lake.

Dry northern end of El Vada Lake. Note houses up above "lake shore"

Rio Chama now exposed in dry lake bed

Huge El Vado Lake (north end) boat ramp leading to lonely dock and dry lake bed

Before heading over to Trout Stalker Ranch in Chama we made one more stop at the Rio Chama trailhead. From here a 5.5 mile trail descends down a dramatic cap rock stairway near Heron Dam. The trail, which crosses the river by suspension bridge, affords panoramic views and an adventurous route to neighboring El Vado Lake.

I assumed, as do a lot of folks, that the lake, dam, and state park are named after the bird, but in fact they are named after Kenneth A. Heron, an engineer in the early 1900s who initiated the diversion of water from Colorado to arid areas further south. The best birds at this location were 10 GREAT BLUE HERONS, 2 CLARK'S NUTCRACKERS, and a stunning adult GOLDEN EAGLE!

We arrived Trout Stalker Ranch around 5:00 p.m. It was getting really windy and cold, but it wasn't raining yet despite heavy showers and snow up in the San Juan's to the north. The meadow along the road leading into the ranch was flooded from snow melt and we observed a two new birds for the ranch - a RING-BILLED GULL and several GREAT-TAILED GRACKLES. There were several MALLARDS mixed in too. 

We drove across the ranch and caught up with Greg Friday, the ranch's manager, over at the buffalo pen. He had just finished feeding the buffaloes and asked Carol if she wanted to hand feed the large bull. She jumped at the chance and thoroughly enjoyed the experience, including its "raspy tongue!" 

The pond next to the cabin had several COMMON MERGANSERS and one adult male RING-NECKED DUCK. After a nice visit with Greg we decided it had been a long day and headed over for the night at Elkhorn Lodge. 

Carol headed to town to grab us some dinner and I wandered around the grounds listening and looking for the owls Emily told me start calling around 7:00 p.m. or so. Sure enough, after just a few minutes a pair of GREAT HORNED OWLS started calling right near the lodge's office! I even got to see the male which obligingly stayed out in the open for Carol to see when she got back. There was also a LEWIS'S WOODPECKER still active across the river in the Trout Stalker Ranch woodlands. 

After a good night's sleep we were pleasantly surprised to find a clear and mild morning. After a quick search I found one of the owls sitting right out in the open. The light wasn't that great yet, but I managed a few decent shots. After coffee and saying good by and thanks to Emily we were off to bird Trout Stalker. 

One of the Great Horned Owls living on the grounds of Elkhorn Lodge

We found Greg working on one of the ranch's bridges and after hanging out for a while we headed down to the deciduous woodlands on the north end of the ranch. Carol wanted to see one of the dippers and we lucked out when we found the male AMERICAN DIPPER with a beak full of moss!

Water Ouzel with next material in Chama River on the ranch

Red-winged Blackbird on ranch about to sing to the world

Letting it rip!

We were just about to leave the ranch when Greg called and in a very excited tone related how there was a pair of Canada Geese sitting high up in a cottonwood in a heron's nest! I was stunned for a second, but soon was heading back to find Greg and the geese!

We pulled up and sure enough there was a pair of geese very contently sitting 60 feet up in a heron next! We watched them for nearly an hour and it was amazing. The female looked like she was actually preparing the nest and the male was busily calling and DEFENDING against any approaching geese! At one point they both took off the nest and chased away a group of very surprised and confused geese who were just passing by. After just a moment both the geese returned and effortlessly landed back in the nest. We wondered out loud if they were actually going to use this nest, and if they did how would it work with the goslings. Also, they were in a pretty vulnerable spot to everything from weather to predators. I've never witnessed this behavior before and it will be interesting to see what happens. I'll let you know!

Pair of Canada Geese in heron nest on ranch!

Coming back in for effortless landing

Male chasing off "intruders!"

We left the ranch and headed into Chama to grab a quick lunch to go. We drove a couple side streets where Carol spotted a feeder that had quite a bit of activity including a RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, a county bird!

After checking out a couple areas around Chama we drove to Los Ojos and Tierra Wools. We were greeted by a very nice lady name Kate who proceeded to give us a wonderful tour of huge building. Kate showed us the looms and miles and miles of hand made wool fibers. The range and assortment of colors was extraordinary and quite frankly has to be seen to believe - just beautiful. Tierra Wools is a cooperative and indeed we saw many people working on projects. Kate told us that they have a Tierra Wools festival in early August. Check it out!

Tierra Wools

Part of Looms inside Tierra Wools

Old building on main street Los Ojos

After Los Ojos we made our way over to Heron Lake and one more check for waterfowl. I'm glad we did because there were 3 WHITE PELICANS near the La Laja boat ramp - another county bird! It was also really beautiful there with puffy clouds and a sky you can only find in New Mexico. 

Heron Lake and a gorgeous NM sky!

White Pelicans (and Ring-billed Gulls) at Heron Lake

We were having a great time, but it was time to start heading back around Santa Fe. We made two brief detours on the way back. The first was to the village of Canjilon located east of 84 on SR 115. I wanted to check out how to get over to Canjilon Lakes and El Rito Canyon, both excellent birding sites. The forest road leading to the lakes was rather muddy so we decided to let things dry out a bit and try in a few weeks. 

By the time we passed the Ghost Ranch it was actually raining! There was a break in the sky as we approached Abiquiu Lake so we made a quick stop over at one of the overlooks. It only took a couple minutes to figure out that there were practically NO BIRDS! There were no birds, but it was very cool to watch a storm pass over the lake!

Storm over Abiquiu Lake

We arrived back home at 6:30 p.m. Our trip covered 396 miles which included, two state parks, two national forests, Trout Stalker Ranch, Chama, Los Brazos, Los Ojos, Tierra Amarilla, La Puende, and Abiquiu. I added a few county birds and also some new ones for the ranch. My winter birding on Trout Stalker concluded with 56 species which I think is darn good considering I only birded there 7 times. Number after species indicates total number of that species observed.

Trout Stalker Bird List - 2/10/15 to 3/19/15

1. Canada Goose - 24
2. Mallard - 7
3. Green-winged Teal - 3
4. Ring-necked Duck - 2
5. Bufflehead - 1
6. Common Goldeneye - 7
7. Common Merganser - 8
8. Wild Turkey - 14
9. Great Blue Heron - 2
10. Killdeer - 2
11. Ring-billed Gull - 1
12. Rock Pigeon - 4
13. Bald Eagle - 3
14. Red-tailed Hawk - 3
15. Eurasian Collared-Dove - 1
16. White-winged Dove - 2
17. Great Horned Owl - 2
18. Lewis's Woodpecker - 3
19. Red-naped Sapsucker - 1
20. Downy Woodpecker - 1
21. Northern Flicker - 7
22. American Kestrel - 1
23. Say's Phoebe - 1
24. Pinion Jay - 3
25. Stellar's Jay - 2
26. Western Scrub-Jay - 6
27. Black-billed Magpie - 14
28. Clark's Nutcracker - 3
29. American Crow - 12
30. Common Raven - 25
31. Horned Lark - 4
32. Black-capped Chickadee - 9
33. Mountain Chickadee - 3
34. White-breasted Nuthatch - 4
35. Brown Creeper - 1
36. American Dipper - 4
37. Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1
38. Western Bluebird - 8
39. Mountain Bluebird - 4
40. Townsend's Solitaire - 3
41. American Robin - 10
42. European Starling - 3
43. Spotted Towhee - 1
44. Song Sparrow - 10
45. American Tree Sparrow - 14
46. Harris's Sparrow - 2
47. Dark-eyed Junco - 16
48. Red-winged Blackbird - 37
49. Western Meadowlark - 3
50. Great-tailed Grackle - 5
51. Pine Grosbeak - 1
52. Cassin's Finch - 8
53. American Goldfinch - 2
54. Evening Grosbeak - 3
55. Pine Siskin - 44
56. House Sparrow - 3