Grand New Mexico May 26—Jun 05, 2008
Posted by Barry Zimmer
Barry Zimmer
Barry Zimmer has been birding since the age of eight. His main areas of expertise lie in North and Central America, but his travels have taken him throughout much of the wo...Related Trips
The fourth day of our recent Grand New Mexico tour stands out as one of the best days of North American birding I have had in some time—and with the amount of birding I do, that is really saying something.
We awoke to a nice crisp, sunny morning in Silver City with temperatures in the upper 50s. Our plan for the day was to bird the Mimbres Mountains north of town, with emphasis on Cherry Creek Canyon, and end up at the famous Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. We had barely made it out of town when I noticed a Spotted Towhee perched up in a bush along the road. We stopped to take a quick look at the towhee and then began loading up again. As I was climbing into the van, I heard the distinct mewing cries of Pinyon Jays in the distance. I called for everyone to quickly get out. Within moments a band of ten or so Pinyon Jays filtered down the hillside. This highly sought species provided excellent views from about 30 feet for over five minutes.
As we were watching the jays, a Juniper Titmouse began calling to our right and also cooperated with great scope studies. Next, a group of Mexican Jays, a very local species in this state, moved in to see what the commotion was about. A pair of Bushtits, a close Ash-throated Flycatcher, and a Bewick's Wren followed. All this because of a towhee along the roadside! We managed to tear ourselves away from this spot and made it all of one mile up the road before a singing Black-throated Gray Warbler caught our attention. Once again we quickly unloaded and had marvelous views of two of these striking warblers. A Western Tanager popped into the same tree and was joined by a brilliant Western Bluebird. As we were enjoying the parade of species, an adult Northern Goshawk suddenly sailed over the road in front of us carrying prey. What unbelievable luck!
We logged another mile of travel before stopping again at the sight of 20 or more Band-tailed Pigeons in the pines to our left. Another bonanza of quality birds ensued. An Acorn Woodpecker peeked out of its nest hole, and two Bridled Titmice came by to inspect us. A pair of Grace's Warblers sang from the ponderosas, as did a "Gray-headed" Dark-eyed Junco. Violet-green Swallows with their stunning emerald, purple, and white plumages darted about overhead. A Steller's Jay popped in briefly and was followed by a pair of Hepatic Tanagers. It was hard to know where to look. By this time, an hour or more had passed and we had traveled about eight miles. Realizing we had a long way to go, I once again rounded up the group and headed up into the mountains, determined to make Cherry Creek our next stop. The birds would have none of that, however, and it took three more stops before we made the final five miles to Cherry Creek. A stunning Painted Redstart flitted about the roadside a few feet from us, and a group of Pygmy Nuthatches nearly landed on my head! More stunning Western Bluebirds and a Hairy Woodpecker came next.
The second stop yielded a cluster of birds responding to a whistled imitation of a pygmy-owl. The trees above our heads were alive with birds: incomparable Red-faced Warblers at 15 feet; a beautiful pumpkin-headed Olive Warbler overhead; and Plumbeous, Hutton's, and Warbling vireos, more Grace's Warblers, and White-breasted and Pygmy nuthatches joined in the scolding frenzy.
Over two-and-a-half-hours after we left the hotel, we finally reached our "first" stop of the day. Cherry Creek Canyon is a wonderful, scenic canyon and loaded with birds. The previous evening we had tallied incredible views of both Flammulated Owl and Whip-poor-will here. Now, in the daytime, we added the likes of Magnificent and Broad-tailed hummingbirds, Mountain Chickadee, and Virginia's Warbler to our growing list. Lunch beckoned, so we proceeded toward Sapillo Crossing. A small lodge here has a very good restaurant, and, better still, a great selection of feeders. As we ate, we were entertained by Steller's Jays and Western Scrub-Jays, Black-headed Grosbeaks, and Black-chinned and Broad-tailed hummingbirds just feet away. Before leaving we stood outside watching the hummingbird feeders for a few moments. Suddenly, one member of our group noticed a hummingbird with a red bill. A stunning male Broad-billed Hummingbird, very rare in New Mexico, provided excellent studies.
We needed to allow time to visit the fascinating Gila Cliff Dwellings, so once again we headed onward. En route a Zone-tailed Hawk was spotted along the roadside. We piled out just as the bird disappeared over a ridge behind us. We waited a few minutes and the hawk came back right over us in a full stoop. What a show! In the ruins parking lot a short while later, as we were preparing to embark on the trail to the dwellings, a Common Black-Hawk flapped lazily over the parking lot. Simply put, we were having ridiculous luck—rare birds, hard-to-find species, stunningly beautiful species, and so many up-close, fantastic views. It was truly a day to remember. Of course, it wasn't quite over. That evening we ventured out owling, and were met with more success. Superb, close studies of Western Screech and Elf owls, Common Poorwill, and Common Nighthawk were topped off by an unexpected Barn Owl hunting along the shoulder for a couple of minutes.
I should remind you that this was but one day of a wildly successful New Mexico tour. From the south-central part of the state (Mississippi Kite, Burrowing Owl, Cave Swallow, Gray Vireo, Crissal Thrasher, and Black-chinned Sparrow) to Silver City (American Dipper, Vermilion Flycatcher, Gray Flycatcher, Greater Pewee, and Abert's Towhee among others) to the central grasslands and foothills (Ferruginous Hawk, Golden Eagle, Lewis's Woodpecker, and Sage Thrasher) to the high Rocky Mountains near Santa Fe (Three-toed Woodpecker, Williamson's and Red-naped sapsuckers, Hammond's and Dusky flycatchers, Townsend's Solitaire, Black-billed Magpie, Green-tailed Towhee, and Evening Grosbeak) we tallied an impressive 201 species of birds, 24 species of mammals (including bobcat, elk, pronghorn, collared peccary, and black bear), and marveled at the incredible scenery in the Land of Enchantment.