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.