Wyatt promptly showed up at my house at the appointed time of 5:45 a.m. and we headed north through Santa Fe and then on past Espanola.
Our birding day started before sunrise on the Highway 74 bridge over the Chama River near the small village of El Duende (duende is a hard word to interpret. Different sources list the definition as a ghost, an evil spirit, inspiration, magic, fire, elf, gremlin, charm, magnetism or goblin - take your pick!) El Duende is not too far north of Espanola off of Highway 84. I was hoping to hear or see a Great Horned Owl, but we had to "settle" for a singing BLACK PHOEBE, a few CANADA GEESE, a COMMON MERGANSER, a COMMON RAVEN (which in the dim light went from being a goose to an owl to a raven), and two AMERICAN KESTRELS.
We arrived at the huge Abiquiu Lake right as the sun was rising - perfect timing. Our intention wasn't to spend much time here as we were anxious to get further north. We made a quick stop at the main boat ramp and there were a few geese, several RING-BILLED GULLS, 1 female LESSER SCAUP, lots of AMERICAN COOT, but not much else. I was ready to book north, but Wyatt strongly suggested that there was a cool overlook close by that was worth checking. I put up a small protest, but then remembered that I needed to take advantage of Wyatt's knowledge!
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| Lofty observation point at Abiquiu Lake |
We pulled off of the highway where we had a commanding view of the lake and a large cove. The light was stunning as the sun was rising behind us. There were lots more birds here than at the boat ramp. Wyatt was very gracious not to say "I told you so!"
Some of the highlights we observed from our lofty perch were 3 RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS, 2 HOODED MERGANSERS, COMMON MERGANSERS, several COMMON GOLDENEYES, BUFFLEHEADS, a couple RUDDY DUCKS, MALLARDS, an AMERICAN WIGEON, a PIED-BILLED GREBE, and the best bird of this stop, a winter plumage COMMON LOON.
We forced ourselves away from this great spot and soon were pulling into a US Forest Service picnic/camping area known as the Echo Amphitheater -
(http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/carson/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=44462&actid=50) This intensely scenic spot is, as the name implies, is a giant natural semi-circle of beautiful cliffs. It also has a nice patch of trees, shrubs and grasses near the cliffs that can harbor a surprisingly high number of birds. We dipped on our goal of finding a Canyon Wren, but there were plenty of WESTERN SCRUB-JAYS and DARK-EYED JUNCOS to keep us company. The best part was a Common Raven which repeatedly flew back and forth across the rock amphitheater calling the entire time. It was hard to believe that it wasn't thoroughly enjoying listening to its greatly amplified croaks!
It was a nice day of birding because we didn't really have a plan or a time frame which freed us to veer off whenever the urge to do so hit us. So suddenly I found myself turning off onto highway 531 (at Tierra Amarilla) and towards the village of Los Ojos. We drove past the Chama Valley Schools where we enjoyed a pair of BALD EAGLES, lots more geese, and a calling KILLDEER.
(http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/carson/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=44462&actid=50) This intensely scenic spot is, as the name implies, is a giant natural semi-circle of beautiful cliffs. It also has a nice patch of trees, shrubs and grasses near the cliffs that can harbor a surprisingly high number of birds. We dipped on our goal of finding a Canyon Wren, but there were plenty of WESTERN SCRUB-JAYS and DARK-EYED JUNCOS to keep us company. The best part was a Common Raven which repeatedly flew back and forth across the rock amphitheater calling the entire time. It was hard to believe that it wasn't thoroughly enjoying listening to its greatly amplified croaks!
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| Echo Amphitheater. Legend has it that settlers were murdered on top of the cliff and their blood can still be seen today! |
We continued through the small community of La Puente (spanish for The Bridge) and turned north onto CR 340, which takes you along a fabulous stretch of the Chama River, wet meadows, and a large riparian corridor. We both wondered out loud just how great this road will be during the migration and breeding season. It wasn't all that bad the day we were there! Just a few of the birds we found include LEWIS'S WOODPECKER, 2 LINCOLN'S SPARROWS, several SONG SPARROWS, lots of geese, mallards, bufflehead, a NORTHERN PINTAIL, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS, and a pair of BALD EAGLES. This is going to be a great little stretch of road to hit over and over again!
We drove through the village of Los Ojos (for quite a while known as Park View, but changed back to its original name in 1972) and the location of the well-known Tierra Wools (http://www.handweavers.com). Many people I talk to tell me that Los Ojos means "the eyes" (which it probably does), but actually the name comes from the many fresh water springs (ojos or ojitos) found in the area. In fact the nearby "Park View" Fish Hatchery uses one of these large springs.
We arrived in Chama around noon and Wyatt suggested we stop by the Elkhorn Lodge (https://www.elkhornlodge.net), which offers a large complex of rooms and cabins. It is situated on 8 acres along the Chama River and is directly across the river from Trout Stalker Ranch! Our purpose was to check out the feeders near the office. There was a lot of activity, but mostly MOUNTAIN and BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEES, DARK-EYED JUNCOS, WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCHES, and CASSIN'S FINCHES.
Wyatt has waited patiently to finally get a chance to bird the Trout Stalker Ranch so we left Elkhorn and headed directly to the ranch. The ranch's snow was melting rapidly and so was the ice on the numerous ponds. We worked our way across the ranch, but on a mild day in early afternoon the activity was a little slow. A RED-TAILED HAWK sailed past as we headed over to the north end of the ranch and the large woodlands along the Chama. Wyatt was keen on seeing the Pine Grosbeaks and Harris's Sparrows that I had seen recently. Unfortunately we dipped on both of those target species, but did pick up EVENING GROSBEAKS, a RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET (heard by Wyatt), and a pretty snazzy looking male RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER. We left the ranch, but Wyatt was impressed with the large and diverse Trout Stalker Ranch and said he couldn't wait to get back!
Our next stop was Heron Lake to look for water birds. I was amazed to see that the once half frozen lake was now completely wide open! Wyatt told me that the best place to observe the lake was from the La Laja Boat Ramp on the extreme north end of the lake. From here you have a commanding view of much of the lake plus a couple near-by coves.
I am always amazed at how few birds, at times, there can be on New Mexico's Reservoirs. It seems to me that anywhere there is water in an extremely arid environment there should be lots of birds! That said, I'll take quality over quantity and that was the case today. We scanned the lake finding COMMON GOLDENEYES, COMMON MERGANSERS, LESSER SCAUP, AMERICAN COOT, and RING-BILLED GULLS. However, we also found a HORNED GREBE, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS, and the best bird of the day, a breeding plumaged FRANKLIN'S GULL. The cormorants and Franklin's Gull were both county birds.
Our final stop was at the San Juan Bridge which crossed the Rio Grande near Espanola. When they built a new and modern bridge they left the old one for pedestrian use. This area is a favorite for birders because of the large riparian areas on both sides of the river. Jerry Friedman had found a White-throated Sparrow the day before at this location so we swung by hoping to pick up a county bird for Wyatt! Nothing was stirring except for a BLACK PHEOBE hunting from the bridge and a rather rude young man buzzing all around us on an extremely loud and exhaust spewing motorcycle of some sort. So we dipped on the sparrow and it was time to head home.
It was, however, another fabulous day of birding in Rio Arriba County. I picked up numerous county bird and three new birds for Trout Stalker Ranch. We explored some new areas that now will become part of the fast growing list "routine" stops!
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| Bald Eagles near Tierra Amarilla |
Wyatt has waited patiently to finally get a chance to bird the Trout Stalker Ranch so we left Elkhorn and headed directly to the ranch. The ranch's snow was melting rapidly and so was the ice on the numerous ponds. We worked our way across the ranch, but on a mild day in early afternoon the activity was a little slow. A RED-TAILED HAWK sailed past as we headed over to the north end of the ranch and the large woodlands along the Chama. Wyatt was keen on seeing the Pine Grosbeaks and Harris's Sparrows that I had seen recently. Unfortunately we dipped on both of those target species, but did pick up EVENING GROSBEAKS, a RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET (heard by Wyatt), and a pretty snazzy looking male RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER. We left the ranch, but Wyatt was impressed with the large and diverse Trout Stalker Ranch and said he couldn't wait to get back!
Our next stop was Heron Lake to look for water birds. I was amazed to see that the once half frozen lake was now completely wide open! Wyatt told me that the best place to observe the lake was from the La Laja Boat Ramp on the extreme north end of the lake. From here you have a commanding view of much of the lake plus a couple near-by coves.
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| Heron Lake with far distant Brazos Cliffs |
Our final stop was at the San Juan Bridge which crossed the Rio Grande near Espanola. When they built a new and modern bridge they left the old one for pedestrian use. This area is a favorite for birders because of the large riparian areas on both sides of the river. Jerry Friedman had found a White-throated Sparrow the day before at this location so we swung by hoping to pick up a county bird for Wyatt! Nothing was stirring except for a BLACK PHEOBE hunting from the bridge and a rather rude young man buzzing all around us on an extremely loud and exhaust spewing motorcycle of some sort. So we dipped on the sparrow and it was time to head home.
It was, however, another fabulous day of birding in Rio Arriba County. I picked up numerous county bird and three new birds for Trout Stalker Ranch. We explored some new areas that now will become part of the fast growing list "routine" stops!
