Shipman's field notes, Dec 2005

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2005-12-14: NM: Socorro
Notable: White-throated Sparrow
2005-12-28: NM: Socorro
2005-12-29: NM: New Mexico Tech
Notable: Hutton's Vireo
2005-12-31: NM: Caballo Christmas Bird Count
2005-12-31: NM: Sierra County

2005-12-14: NM: Socorro

Notable: White-throated Sparrow

@Soc: Socorro

Sparrow, White-throated 2 @Socorro

In the flowerbed on the northeast corner of Socorro Springs Brewery.

Description: Yellow headlights, white throat patch.

2005-12-28: NM: Socorro

@FH: Socorro: Faculty Hill

@GC: Socorro: Tech Golf Course

@Jones: Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Jones Hall

@Soc: Socorro

@TBay: Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

@Terry: Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Terry Lake

@home: Socorro: 507 Fitch

Route 1020, walk from home around campus.

domestic goose sp. 4 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

Description: Two dark, two white.

domestic duck sp. # @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

Wigeon, American

# @Socorro: Tech Golf Course

Behavior: Grazing on fairways.

200+ @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Terry Lake

80+ @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

Canvasback 9 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Terry Lake

Redhead 42 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Terry Lake

Duck, Ring-necked

51 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Terry Lake

10 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

Scaup, Lesser 1♀ @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Terry Lake

Quail, Gambel's 20+ @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Terry Lake

Grebe, Pied-billed 3 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

Heron, Great Blue 1 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Terry Lake

Hawk, Sharp-shinned 1a♂ @Socorro: 507 Fitch

Behavior: With prey item in talons.

Coot, American

42 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Terry Lake

16+ @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

Pigeon, Rock # @Socorro: Tech Golf Course

Near Campus Police.

Dove, White-winged # @Socorro: 507 Fitch

Phoebe, Say's 1 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Jones Hall

Shrike, Loggerhead 1 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Terry Lake

Crow, American # @Socorro: 507 Fitch

Raven, Chihuahuan 2 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Terry Lake

Vocalizations: By 'rack' call.

Kinglet, Ruby-crowned 1 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Terry Lake

Robin, American # @Socorro: 507 Fitch

Thrasher, Curve-billed 1 @Socorro: 507 Fitch

Vocalizations: Subsong in orchard.

Starling, European 40+ @Socorro: Faculty Hill

Behavior: All in one tight flock.

Warbler, Yellow-rumped 4 @Socorro

Near Fullingim statues SW of Speare Hall.

Junco, Gray-headed 1 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Jones Hall

Junco, Oregon 1 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Jones Hall

Junco, Pink-sided 2 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Jones Hall

Finch, House # @Socorro: 507 Fitch

Sparrow, House # @Socorro: 507 Fitch

2005-12-29: NM: New Mexico Tech

Notable: Hutton's Vireo

@NMT: New Mexico Tech

Vireo, Hutton's @New Mexico Tech

Species #36 on my office window list (Speare 119).

Description: Compared to kinglets: slower-moving; chunkier build; bill heavier, both mandibles dark gray, upper mandible slightly hooked; legs light gray; pale secondary edges touch lower wingbar.

Studied at 10-yard range for 15 minutes through 8x binoculars.

2005-12-31: NM: Caballo Christmas Bird Count

@Arrey: Arrey area

Includes all territory west of NM-187 from its junction with I-25 through the village of Arrey, and south and west to the circle boundary.

@CBC: Caballo Christmas Bird Count

@PWHA: Percha Wildlife Habitat Area

The fenced area immediately north of Percha State Park and just east of the Percha entrance road.

@Rio: Rio Grande

A short section of the river above Percha Dam.

@lake: Caballo Reservoir

Route 0655: By foot, 0.6 miles: south end and southeast corner of PWHA and adjacent rio. 0757: By car, trip odo 0.0 to 5.0: Percha entrance road. 0849: By foot, 1.5 miles: PWHA center area including the Ash Grove. 1104: By car, trip odo 5.0 to 37.0: Percha entrance road, Percha Flats above the dam, lower half of Caballo Reservoir from Percha Flats and Caballo SP. Left Percha SP about 1340. 1503: End.

Effort: 3.28 hours and 2.1 miles by foot, 4.85 hours and 37.0 miles by car, 8.13 hours and 39.1 miles total.

This covers only records taken as part of an official CBC party. See the separate page below for records not involving the official CBC effort.

Wigeon, American 9 @Caballo Reservoir

Teal, American Green-winged 24 @Rio Grande

Merganser, Common 1500 @Caballo Reservoir

Well out into the north end of the lake; one large flock barely visible in my scope at 50x from the north end of Caballo SP. Very likely also seen by the party working the north end, according to Ketchum (who told me he estimated the flock at 1800).

Quail, Gambel's 22 @Caballo Christmas Bird Count

Grebe, Pied-billed 3 @Caballo Reservoir

Aechmophorus sp. 122 @Caballo Reservoir

Grebe, Western 1 @Caballo Christmas Bird Count

cormorant sp. 122 @Caballo Reservoir

Except for two closer in, I'd never have seen the rest of these if I hadn't been looking at the big merganser flock just as it flushed, leaving me with a good look at an awful lot of cormorant heads and necks sticking out of the water where they had been.

Cormorant, Neotropic 2 @Caballo Reservoir

Near Caballo Dam.

Cormorant, Double-crested 1 @Caballo Reservoir

Near Caballo Dam.

Pelican, American White 1 @Caballo Reservoir

There were several dozen white blobs way out at the north end of the lake that I couldn't resolve. For as well as I saw them they could be Snow Geese. However, one bird was close enough to discern its bill in the scope.

Heron, Great Blue 2 @Caballo Christmas Bird Count

Hawk, Red-tailed 2 @Caballo Christmas Bird Count

Description: Includes one dark-phase bird west of the Percha entrance road.

Kestrel, American 3 @Caballo Christmas Bird Count

Coot, American 1 @Caballo Christmas Bird Count

Crane, Sandhill 38 @Caballo Christmas Bird Count

Killdeer 4 @Rio Grande

Sandpiper, Spotted 2 @Rio Grande

Dowitcher, Long-billed 1 @Rio Grande

Just above Percha Dam.

Gull, Ring-billed 343 @Caballo Christmas Bird Count

200 of these were headed for Carl's area just after dawn and may duplicate his records.

Collared-Dove, Eurasian 6 @Arrey area

Dove, White-winged 10 @Caballo Christmas Bird Count

Dove, Mourning 12 @Caballo Christmas Bird Count

Roadrunner, Greater 3 @Caballo Christmas Bird Count

Woodpecker, Ladder-backed 3 @Caballo Christmas Bird Count

Flicker, Northern 1 @Caballo Christmas Bird Count

Phoebe, Say's 5 @Caballo Christmas Bird Count

raven sp. 12 @Caballo Christmas Bird Count

Crow, American 1 @Percha Wildlife Habitat Area

Vocalizations: Calling.

Raven, Chihuahuan 3 @Caballo Christmas Bird Count

Vocalizations: "Rack" call.

Lark, Horned 20 @Arrey area

Verdin 1 @Percha Wildlife Habitat Area

Behavior: Responded strongly to my Official Audubon Squeaker.

Wren, Bewick's 2 @Percha Wildlife Habitat Area

Kinglet, Ruby-crowned 3 @Caballo Christmas Bird Count

Starling, European 1 @Caballo Christmas Bird Count

Phainopepla 1 @Percha Wildlife Habitat Area

Close to the fence north of the dam.

Vocalizations: Liquid 'whit' call like the ones I've been hearing all summer in Socorro. Heard only.

Warbler, Audubon's 1 @Caballo Christmas Bird Count

Towhee, Spotted 1 @Percha Wildlife Habitat Area

Sparrow, Chipping 2 @Caballo Christmas Bird Count

Sparrow, Song 8 @Percha Wildlife Habitat Area

Sparrow, White-crowned 50 @Caballo Christmas Bird Count

Junco, Dark-eyed 1 @Caballo Christmas Bird Count

Junco, Oregon 1 @Caballo Christmas Bird Count

meadowlark sp. 5 @Caballo Christmas Bird Count

I have no idea if Eastern is possible here. If it's unlikely, these are probably Westerns.

Meadowlark, Western 1 @Caballo Christmas Bird Count

Grackle, Great-tailed 19 @Arrey area

Finch, House 12 @Caballo Christmas Bird Count

Goldfinch, American 3 @Caballo Christmas Bird Count

Sparrow, House 11 @Caballo Christmas Bird Count

2005-12-31: NM: Sierra County

@PSP: Percha State Park

@Sierra: Sierra County

This section covers only records that were not part of the official CBC effort. These were "poached" in Carl Lundblad's territory, Percha State Park.

Film Started the day on frame 27 of a roll of VC-400. [27], Song Sparrow. Rest mainly closeups of Chipping Sparrows. At 1120, changed to another roll of VC-400. [1] error. [2,3] Bullock's Oriole.

Creeper, Brown 1 @Percha State Park

Seen in Carl's area, at the north end of the park.

Pyrrhuloxia 1 @Percha State Park

Vocalizations: Heard only; singing just after dawn.

Oriole, Bullock's 1♂ @Percha State Park

Just above the feeder at the northwest corner of the park. Took two frames that will not be great pictures but should prove the bird was here.