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From: john@nmt.edu (John Shipman)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: Birding spots around Albuquerque, NM?
Message-ID: <1991May24.083422.1069@nmt.edu>
Date: 24 May 91 08:34:22 GMT
References: <77564@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU> <3049@sun13.scri.fsu.edu>
Organization: Zoological Data Processing
Lines: 70

Stephen T. Tirone (tirone@acsu.buffalo.edu) asked:
+--
| Albuquerque...around July 4...good birding spots?
+--

Daan Sandee (sandee@sun8.scri.fsu.edu) replied:
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| Bosque del Apache NWR is not at its best in midsummer and
| terribly hot.
+--

Depends what you're used to; a Finn might find it
insufferable, while someone from Egypt might need a sweater.
The humidity is usually low, so I would prefer it to, say,
Florida.  I've spent a lot of time at this refuge in the
summer, and it can be surprising.  In particular, if you are
diligent and identify every shorebird you can find, you may
find it a pleasant place to spend a day.

+--
| Huntington & Zimmerman, N.M. Bird-finding Guide, covers the
| entire state.  Not the best of guides, but good enough.
+--

ABA Sales at 800-634-7736 should have the guide in stock.

I agree with Daan's assessment of this guide.  I wish
someone would do a guide for New Mexico as good as Jim
Lane's classic guides.  The NM Ornithological Society is
currently redoing the above guide; it should be out next
year, and will expand the coverage.  New Mexico is a
terribly under-birded area and good new sites are being
discovered all the time.

So what would I recommend?  Certainly the mountain sites
around and to the north of Albuquerque would be pleasant and
offer good birds.  The Grasslands sod farm just west of
I-25 near Los Lunas usually has nesting Mountain Plovers.

I'm biased towards the southern half of the state, so I
would recommend Elephant Butte and Caballo reservoirs and
Percha Dam State Park for a good mix of water and landbirds.
Water Canyon in the Magdalenas will not produce dozens of
species, but it can be good for odd items like Hepatic
Tanager and Red-faced Warbler.

Further afield, the Bitter Lake refuge near Roswell and
Rattlesnake Springs near Carlsbad Caverns can be fun;
the latter site is the best place I know of for Painted
Bunting, Bell's Vireo, and occasional eastern strays.

As Daan says, the Gila Wilderness is a good spot, but
working this whole reserve would take a month, so do
your homework first to optimize the time you have.

If you have the time to mount a low-grade expedition, try
Clanton Canyon (Peloncillo Mts.), or even Guadalupe Canyon
in the extreme SW corner of the state; it's hot and remote
and the birds are great.  In Guadalupe, Violet-crowned is
the most common hummer and Thick-billed Kingbird is usually
present, along with many other Southeast Arizona
specialties.

I believe all the sites I have mentioned are covered in
the current edition of the D & Z guide.

Good luck, and please post your results!
-- 
John Shipman/Zoological Data Processing/Socorro, NM/john@jupiter.nmt.edu
``Let's go outside and commiserate with nature.''  --Dave Farber