After a pleasantly uneventful drive from Goshen, Indiana, to Southern New Mexico, we began our southwest sojourn with a visit to White Sands National Monument. When we had been there many years ago, the wind had been blowing, and it was hot. This time there was no wind, and it was cold and raining lightly.
In this very dry part of the world one should not complain about rain. Indeed we enjoyed the beauty of the endless white sand and the small puddles of water. However, in the three hours that we spent at the park, I didnt see a single bird, not even a distant raven. The park was surprisingly full of people, most of them tourists from distant parts of the world.
From Alamogordo we drove west to Las Cruces and further west on Interstate 10 to the town of Deming. Along the way there were several kestrels, a beautiful male northern harrier and a red-tailed hawk.
Late in the afternoon we left Deming and drove 30 miles north to camp at City of Rocks State Park. We had heard about this unique park where campsites are situated among an amazing array of vertical rocks. Each site has its own distinct rocks, a picnic table and a view of the distant mountains.
The first park staff person I met turned out to be a serious birder who immediately asked if I wanted to see the barn owl (uncommon in this part of New Mexico). We walked out in the drizzle to a windmill with a nest box attached to the structure. Staring out at us through the hole in the nest box was an adult barn owl. It was the first one Ive seen since leaving Holmes County three years ago.
The most common birds at City of Rocks were flocks of dark-eyed juncos and chipping sparrows. There were also ravens soaring overhead and canyon towhees among the rocks. It was a very peaceful place, and seeing it in the rain was surprisingly beautiful. The colors of vegetation were enhanced by the rare wetness in this dry part of the world. We walked among the rocks and eventually got soaked in another downpour.
The next day we drove on to Silver City and then headed on north to visit my brother Al and his wife Marcia. The rain quit, and the sun came out. The drive to Glenwood was beautiful. The mountains were white from the recent snow. A loggerhead shrike on a wire got our attention, and a flock of 20 meadowlarks flew off from the side of the road. At this time of year they could be either eastern or western meadowlarks. At a small settlement along the way at least 20 Eurasian collared doves were perched in trees and on wires.
After arriving at Al and Marcias home on a mesa outside Glenwood, we all stood outside and enjoyed the late evening light on the mountains. A rock wren flew up from the woodpile and western bluebirds called overhead.
In the morning the feeders hosted a curve-billed thrasher, scrub jays, lesser goldfinches, house finches and lots of juncos. Al and I drove down to the fish hatchery at Glenwood where we checked out the acorn woodpeckers, flickers and a male red-naped sapsucker. At the fish hatchery pond we counted a total of 85 ducks including gadwall, wigeon, ring-necked ducks, common mergansers and one female canvasback.
Well spend a few more days here and then head across the line to Arizona. More about that next time. Best wishes for the new year.
Good birding!
To contact Bruce Glick, call him at 330-317-7798 or email birderbruce@yahoo.com.
