Shipman's field notes, May 2007

2007-05-01: NM: Socorro County
2007-05-02: NM: Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay
2007-05-10: NM: New Mexico Tech
2007-05-16: NM: Socorro->Clovis
2007-05-17: NM: Clovis-Melrose Woods-Bitter Lake
Notable: Black Tern; Scissor-tailed Flycatcher; Brown Thrasher; Yellow Warbler
2007-05-18: NM: Rattlesnake Springs-Brantley-Bitter Lake-Clovis
Notable: Harris' Hawk; Wilson's Phalarope; Franklin's Gull; Thayer's Gull; Black Tern; Common Nighthawk; Scissor-tailed Flycatcher; Bell's Vireo; Yellow-breasted Chat
2007-05-19: NM: Clovis-Melrose Woods-Socorro
Notable: Scaled Quail; Mississippi Kite; Scissor-tailed Flycatcher; Warbling Vireo; Swainson's Thrush; Yellow Warbler; MacGillivray's Warbler; Northern Cardinal
2007-05-22: NM: Socorro: New Mexico Tech
2007-05-25: NM: Socorro: 507 Fitch
2007-05-28: NM: Socorro Co.
Notable: Common Moorhen; Yellow-breasted Chat

2007-05-01: NM: Socorro County

@SocCo: Socorro County

@home: Socorro: 507 Fitch

Caracara, Crested [fide Pat Phillips] @Socorro County

Somewhere on the White Sands Missile Range within a dozen miles or so of Stallion Site, E. of San Antonio, NM.

Pat is reasonably competent casual birder, and he works as a security guard on the range. He is not allowed to have a camera, so there is no photo. I have discussed the birdlife of the area with him a number of times; he knows the field marks of most any common raptor that shows up out there. He saw the bird from fairly close range, about 20 yards atop a power pole.

Oriole, Bullock's @Socorro: 507 Fitch

Vocalizations: Typical oriole chatter; heard only.

First of the year.

2007-05-02: NM: Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

@TBay: Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

Count everything today.

Hawk, Cooper's @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

Gee, I wonder if this bird perched in the clearing had anything to do with the great lack of small birds today.

hummingbird sp. @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

Breeding: The possible nest I found a few days ago is now definite. The walls of the nest were built up and there was a bird sitting on it.

Kingbird, Western 1 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

raven sp. 1 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

Swallow, Barn # @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

Robin, American 1 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

Starling, European # @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

Phainopepla 2 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

Vocalizations: By 'whit' call.

Warbler, Audubon's 1 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

Grackle, Great-tailed # @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

Cowbird, Brown-headed # @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

Vocalizations: Noisy and widespread the past week or so.

Sparrow, House # @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

2007-05-10: NM: New Mexico Tech

@NMT: New Mexico Tech

Quail, Gambel's 1 @New Mexico Tech

Perched high in an evergreen at the NW corner of Weir Hall.

2007-05-16: NM: Socorro->Clovis

@DB: DeBaca Co.

@GU: Guadalupe Co.

@NM: Socorro->Clovis

@SO: Socorro Co.

@TO: Torrance Co.

Film Started with existing roll of VC-400. [13,15] Swainson's Hawk.

Pronghorn, about 18 for the day.

Harrier, Northern 1ϕ @Guadalupe Co.

Hawk, Swainson's

2 @Torrance Co.

1 @Guadalupe Co.

2 @DeBaca Co.

Hawk, Red-tailed 1 @Torrance Co.

Killdeer 1 @Guadalupe Co.

Collared-Dove, Eurasian # @Torrance Co.

Dove, Mourning

# @Socorro Co.

# @Torrance Co.

Phoebe, Say's @Torrance Co.

Kingbird, Western # @Torrance Co.

Shrike, Loggerhead 1 @DeBaca Co.

raven sp. # @Torrance Co.

Raven, Chihuahuan

1 @Torrance Co.

Breeding: Sitting a nest on a phone pole in the flatlands.

# @DeBaca Co.

Mockingbird, Northern # @Torrance Co.

Sparrow, Lark 1 @Torrance Co.

E. of Willard.

Bunting, Lark 1a♂ @Torrance Co.

E. of Willard.

Description: Alternate plumage.

meadowlark sp. 1 @Guadalupe Co.

Sparrow, House # @Torrance Co.

2007-05-17: NM: Clovis-Melrose Woods-Bitter Lake

Notable: Black Tern; Scissor-tailed Flycatcher; Brown Thrasher; Yellow Warbler

@BL: Bitter Lake NWR

@Clovis: Clovis

@Mel: Melrose Woods

Formerly known as Melrose (Migrant) Trap.

@day: Clovis-Melrose Woods-Bitter Lake

Route 0930, leave Clovis. 1015, arrive Melrose Woods. 1330, leave Melrose Woods, to Roswell via Floyd. 1445, pass through Elida. 1455, enter Chaves County. 1545, arrive Bitter Lake, drove the loop. 1700, leave Bitter Lake.

Film Started the day at frame 17 of existing roll of VC-400 (started 2007-04-27-12:20). 1650, change to Fuji Superia 400; no shots on the new roll today.

Goose, Canada # @Bitter Lake NWR

Gadwall # @Bitter Lake NWR

Teal, Blue-winged # @Bitter Lake NWR

Teal, Cinnamon # @Bitter Lake NWR

Shoveler, Northern # @Bitter Lake NWR

Scaup, Lesser 1♂ @Bitter Lake NWR

In the flooded unit near the Skeen Visitor Center.

Duck, Ruddy # @Bitter Lake NWR

Quail, Gambel's # @Bitter Lake NWR

Ibis, White-faced # @Bitter Lake NWR

Vulture, Turkey 20+ @Melrose Woods

Kettling in the evening over a farmhouse near Atoka, south of Artesia.

Hawk, Swainson's 3 @Melrose Woods

Melrose-Elida leg.

Hawk, Red-tailed

1a @Melrose Woods

1 @Melrose Woods

Kenna.

Kestrel, American

1♂ @Melrose Woods

1♀ @Melrose Woods

Vocalizations: Very vocal all day.

# @Melrose Woods

Coot, American # @Bitter Lake NWR

Killdeer # @Bitter Lake NWR

Stilt, Black-necked # @Bitter Lake NWR

peep sp. # @Bitter Lake NWR

Tern, Black 28 @Bitter Lake NWR

Counted 7 from the observation deck of the new Skeen Visitor Center. Later counted 21 more some distance away, in Unit 7, I think.

Collared-Dove, Eurasian 2 @Melrose Woods

Dove, Mourning # @Clovis

Woodpecker, Ladder-backed @Melrose Woods

1♂ @Melrose Woods

Breeding: Poked his head out of a nest hole in a tree just N of the N fence. The photo doesn't show anyone home, but I observed both birds at the depicted hole later on.

1♀ @Melrose Woods

Breeding: Brought food to the male at the nest hole.

Wood-Pewee, Western # @Melrose Woods

Kingbird, Western

# @Melrose Woods

Behavior: Noisiest and most conspicuous bird here. At least a dozen of them fighting and yelling all day long.

# @Bitter Lake NWR

# @Melrose Woods

Flycatcher, Scissor-tailed 1 @Melrose Woods

South of Floyd.

Shrike, Loggerhead 1 @Melrose Woods

East side of Chaves County.

Raven, Chihuahuan 2 @Melrose Woods

Swallow, Cliff # @Bitter Lake NWR

Swallow, Barn # @Melrose Woods

Robin, American 1 @Clovis

Mockingbird, Northern

# @Melrose Woods

1 @Melrose Woods

Thrasher, Brown 1 @Melrose Woods

In the thickets of the very NW corner. Skulking low.

Vocalizations: I often hear the Curve-billed Thrasher that nests in my yard; nearly all its song components are musical, and there is virtually no repetition. By contrast, Northern Mockingbird incorporates lots of unmusical buzzes and mechanical noises into its song, and repeats everything at least 3x, sometimes many times more. This bird's song was intermediate: there were almost no unmusical components, and most bits were repeated twice.

Starling, European # @Clovis

Warbler, Yellow ♀ @Melrose Woods

Description: I tried to make this bird into a Wilson's, but there was none of the suggestion of a darker cap that female Wilson's all have. No breast streaking.

Sparrow, Lark 1 @Melrose Woods

South of Floyd.

Blackbird, Red-winged # @Bitter Lake NWR

Meadowlark, Western

# @Bitter Lake NWR

Vocalizations: Singing.

# @Clovis-Melrose Woods-Bitter Lake

Grackle, Great-tailed # @Clovis

Cowbird, Brown-headed # @Melrose Woods

Oriole, Bullock's @Melrose Woods

Even more numerous than Western Kingbird, dozens were all through the woods and in the bushes around the outside.

Sparrow, House # @Clovis

2007-05-18: NM: Rattlesnake Springs-Brantley-Bitter Lake-Clovis

Notable: Harris' Hawk; Wilson's Phalarope; Franklin's Gull; Thayer's Gull; Black Tern; Common Nighthawk; Scissor-tailed Flycatcher; Bell's Vireo; Yellow-breasted Chat

@Bit: Roswell: Bitter Lake NWR

@CBD: Carlsbad

@CP: Brantley Lake: Cheapskate Point

@Elida: Elida area

@RS: Rattlesnake Springs

@day: Rattlesnake Springs-Brantley-Bitter Lake-Clovis

Route 1115, leave Carlsbad; got a late start due to a tire problem. 1140, turn off US 62-180 to Rattlesnake. 1340, leave Rattlesnake. 1550-1630, drove into Cheapskate Point at Brantley Lake. 1740, arrive Bitter Lake. Did not drive the loop, just tried to get some Black Tern photos near the Joseph R. Skeen Visitor Center. 1830, leave Bitter Lake.

Film 1550, Finished Roll Of Fuji 400 Superia started 2007-05-17-16:50. Loaded another roll of the same stock.

A highly attractive rattlesnake of about 3' length was basking on the road to Cheapskate Point. The black and white 'raccoon stripes' on the tail were immediately apparent. I thought it might have been run over, so I backed carefully up alongside it, but it was merely trying to get warm on a chilly, overcast spring day. It rattled a bit and crawled off.

This was a good day to see Pronghorn; there were at least ten close to the highway on the Roswell-Clovis leg.

Duck, Ruddy 1 @Brantley Lake: Cheapskate Point

Turkey, Wild 1 @Rattlesnake Springs-Brantley-Bitter Lake-Clovis

Vocalizations: I kept hearing a sharp 'poink' noise and wondering what it was. Then it issued from this turkey as it flew over the pond.

Never saw or heard more than one at once, but I'll bet there are more back there.

cormorant sp. 1 @Roswell: Bitter Lake NWR

Heron, Great Blue 1 @Roswell: Bitter Lake NWR

Vulture, Turkey # @Rattlesnake Springs-Brantley-Bitter Lake-Clovis

Harrier, Northern 1 @Roswell: Bitter Lake NWR

Description: Regrowing rectrices.

Hawk, Harris' @Rattlesnake Springs-Brantley-Bitter Lake-Clovis

Perched in a tree behind the fire station near the front gate of Washington Ranch. It was still there when I left the area.

Description: Parts of its right wing seemed to be sticking out a bit; possibly injured?

Hawk, Red-tailed # @Rattlesnake Springs-Brantley-Bitter Lake-Clovis

Killdeer 1 @Roswell: Bitter Lake NWR

Dowitcher, Long-billed 10+ @Roswell: Bitter Lake NWR

Phalarope, Wilson's 1 @Brantley Lake: Cheapskate Point

Gull, Franklin's 5 @Brantley Lake: Cheapskate Point

Description: Various amounts of black on the head from solid to half-gray, half-white. One bird showed a strong roseate tinge to its breast.

Gull, Ring-billed 5 @Brantley Lake: Cheapskate Point

See the Mystery Gull below for photos.

Gull, Thayer's 1? @Brantley Lake: Cheapskate Point

Description: Just a bit larger and slightly heavier-billed than Ring-billed in direct comparison; see first photo. Bill solid black. Body marbled with dark gray. Wings are extremely worn, useless for identification. Legs pink. ID? Seems too small for Herring. The all-dark bill at this season suggests Thayer's. One correspondent said the "dove-like head" also suggests Thayer's.

Tern, Black 35+ @Rattlesnake Springs-Brantley-Bitter Lake-Clovis

Counted 35 birds in one quick sweep from the deck of the Skeen Visitor Center.

Behavior: One consistent behavior pattern for many of these birds was to fly south from the large flooded unit below the Skeen Visitor Center and, just as they crossed the road, drop down or wheel rapidly over the vegetation growing on the south side of the road. I'm not sure if this was feeding or play.

Many attempts to photograph them in flight both with 600mm analog (a0027-a0033) and 140mm digital (b1228-b1234) cameras. For terns, it's often better to use a shorter lens and find a spot where they'll fly relatively close to you.

Dove, White-winged # @Rattlesnake Springs

Dove, Mourning # @Rattlesnake Springs-Brantley-Bitter Lake-Clovis

Nighthawk, Common 1 @Rattlesnake Springs

Description: White closer to wrist.

Behavior: Flying fairly high.

Vocalizations: 'zreep'

Wood-Pewee, Western

# @Rattlesnake Springs

# @Brantley Lake: Cheapskate Point

Phoebe, Black 1 @Rattlesnake Springs

Flycatcher, Vermilion # @Rattlesnake Springs

Kingbird, Cassin's 1 @Rattlesnake Springs

Perched right by the formal entrance gate of Washington Ranch.

Kingbird, Western # @Rattlesnake Springs-Brantley-Bitter Lake-Clovis

Flycatcher, Scissor-tailed 1 @Elida area

Just E of Elida.

Vireo, Bell's @Rattlesnake Springs

Vocalizations: Sporadically singing all over the area all day.

Photographing these dodgy little guys is a real challenge. This rather small and grainy photo, using an inferior Wal-Mart scan (our Nikon scanner is broken), was the photo highlight of my trip. It depicts the bird just jumping off its high perch to go skulk in the deep underbrush as it usually does. Getting any shot at all made me feel like Samurai Photographer.

Swallow, Northern Rough-winged 1 @Rattlesnake Springs

Swallow, Barn # @Rattlesnake Springs-Brantley-Bitter Lake-Clovis

Starling, European # @Carlsbad

Phainopepla 1 @Rattlesnake Springs

Chat, Yellow-breasted 1+ @Rattlesnake Springs

Sparrow, Black-throated 1 @Rattlesnake Springs

Tanager, Summer # @Rattlesnake Springs

Vocalizations: 'BEACH-uh-der'

Tanager, Western 1♂ @Rattlesnake Springs

Cardinal, Northern # @Rattlesnake Springs

Grosbeak, Blue 1♂ @Brantley Lake: Cheapskate Point

Meadowlark, Western # @Roswell: Bitter Lake NWR

Vocalizations: Singing.

Grackle, Great-tailed # @Carlsbad

Cowbird, Brown-headed # @Rattlesnake Springs

Oriole, Bullock's # @Rattlesnake Springs

Finch, House # @Rattlesnake Springs

Goldfinch, Lesser # @Rattlesnake Springs

2007-05-19: NM: Clovis-Melrose Woods-Socorro

Notable: Scaled Quail; Mississippi Kite; Scissor-tailed Flycatcher; Warbling Vireo; Swainson's Thrush; Yellow Warbler; MacGillivray's Warbler; Northern Cardinal

@Mel: Melrose Woods

@day: Clovis-Melrose Woods-Socorro

Route 0945, arrive at Melrose Woods. 1420, leave Melrose Woods.

Film 0920, finish roll of Fuji 400 started 2007-05-18-15:50. Loaded roll of VC-400. [,20], probably Willow Flycatcher, also [,24]. [,28], MacGillivray's Warbler. [,30], bathing female Blue Grosbeak; 1/250, 1/125, 1/250. 1400, finished VC-400, loaded Fuji Superia 400. Last shots of a Mourning Cloak butterfly.

Also present at Melrose Woods were Jonathan Batkin, George Cox, and Andy Fenner.

Quail, Scaled 3 @Melrose Woods

Description: This is a new species for this location for me. As I moved south along the 'freeway' down the middle of the woods, I noticed these birds running away from me near the large stone structure just NW of the parking area. As they ran, I saw their distinctive crests, like the business end of a Q-tip.

Kite, Mississippi 2 @Melrose Woods

Near mile marker 388 on US-60, there is a large parkland on the north side of the highway, possibly including a golf course. These two birds were diving around near the large bushes on the south side of the highway.

Harrier, Northern 1a♂ @Melrose Woods

Encino-Mountainair leg.

Hawk, Swainson's 1 @Melrose Woods

Encino-Mountainair leg.

Hawk, Red-tailed 1a @Melrose Woods

Mountainair-Bernardo leg, in Abo Canyon.

Kestrel, American 2 @Melrose Woods

Wood-Pewee, Western # @Melrose Woods

Flycatcher, Willow # @Melrose Woods

Description: Big Empid, drab clay color overall, large bill.

Kingbird, Western # @Melrose Woods

Certainly the noisiest bird of the day in Melrose. At least a dozen birds constantly calling and sparring with one another.

Flycatcher, Scissor-tailed 1 @Clovis-Melrose Woods-Socorro

Just west of the village of Melrose.

Vireo, Warbling 1 @Melrose Woods

Raven, Chihuahuan

1 @Melrose Woods

Guadalupe County, between Vaughn and Encino.

Description: Saw the white neck underfeathering.

Thrush, Swainson's 1 @Melrose Woods

Description: A medium-sized thrush. In good light, shows a buffy pot-hook-shaped feature around the eye, similar to the eyering of the "Solitary" vireos. Breast with smallish triangular chocolate-brown flecks on a buffy background color. Upperparts generally a dun clay-brown.

Behavior: Stayed low, on the ground or on low branches barely above the ground. It took a lot of patience to get a decent look at this bird. I swear it deliberately hid behind things, trying to avoid me. Photos? Don't make me laugh. I tried and tried. Every time I got a line through the underbrush, it would move.

Mockingbird, Northern 1 @Melrose Woods

Warbler, Yellow 1+♀ @Melrose Woods

Warbler, MacGillivray's 1 @Melrose Woods

Warbler, Wilson's #♂ @Melrose Woods

Tanager, Western

1♂ @Melrose Woods

1♀ @Melrose Woods

Cardinal, Northern 1♀ @Melrose Woods

I would never have found this bird if I hadn't been sitting and standing quietly near the north fence, trying to get a look at a thrush. She was usually more wary than the thrush. At one point she popped up onto the fence. Large size, stout bill bright reddish orange.

Grosbeak, Black-headed 3 @Melrose Woods

With all the reports of Rose-breasted Grosbeak here, I did look carefully at all these. I saw one male and two females. Neither of the females had the dark streaking across the breast.

Grosbeak, Blue

1♂ @Melrose Woods

1♀ @Melrose Woods

Behavior: Came in to bathe in the top of a rusty barrel near the north fence.

Oriole, Bullock's # @Melrose Woods

Quite numerous in Melrose Woods, probably the most numerous species today. Active and conspicuous throughout the woods, and also swarming all over the scrubby surrounding vegetation.

2007-05-22: NM: Socorro: New Mexico Tech

@NMT: Socorro: New Mexico Tech

@TBay: Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

@Terry: Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Terry Lake

@home: Socorro: 507 Fitch

domestic duck sp. 15 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

Coot, American 1 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Terry Lake

Collared-Dove, Eurasian # @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

Dove, White-winged # @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

hummingbird sp. ♀ @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

Behavior: Probing in the wrinkled bark of an ash tree.

Kingbird, Western 1 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

Swallow, Barn

# @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

# @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Terry Lake

Robin, American # @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

Thrasher, Curve-billed 1 @Socorro: 507 Fitch

Starling, European 1 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

Tanager, Western 1♂ @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

Grackle, Great-tailed # @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

Sparrow, House # @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

2007-05-25: NM: Socorro: 507 Fitch

@home: Socorro: 507 Fitch

Quail, Gambel's 2 @Socorro: 507 Fitch

2007-05-28: NM: Socorro Co.

Notable: Common Moorhen; Yellow-breasted Chat

@BdA: Bosque del Apache NWR

@SAPark: San Antonio: park on W side

@SocCo: Socorro Co.

Route 1130, arrived the nice little park on the west side of San Antonio, just south of US-380. 1140, at refuge headquarters. 1400, parked at "Catbird Corner" (where the seasonal road turns from east to north), walked a bit. 1520, left the refuge.

Film My prime rig is in the shop, so all photos were taken with my backup rig, a Questar 700/8 mirror. Support was my old cruddy plastic gunstock; shutter speeds were recorded to evaluate steadiness of this combination. 1130, started a new roll of Fuji 400 that was loaded on 2007-05-19T14:00 but no shots on that date. [,7] Ash-throated Flycatcher. [9,10] Western Kingbird 1/250(0), 1/1000(-2). [13,15] Western Grebe, 1/500 (-1), 1/250(0), 1/1000(-2); evaluate for steadiness, mounted on my old (crappy plastic) gunstock. [30,31] Western Wood-Pewee. Painted Turtle, 1/500, 1/250, 1/125. 1300, removed old roll (started 05-19T1400 Melrose), new roll of Fuji Superia 400. [2] Empidonax?. [,9] Western Wood-Pewee, 1/500-1/250-1/1000. [10,11] Summer Tanager 1/1000. [,14] Chat at 1/500. [15,16] flycatcher, 1/500, 1/250. [28,30] Black Phoebe: 1/60(0), 1/125(-1), 1/250(-2). [,34] Western Kingbird 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000.

Gadwall # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Wigeon, American 1♂ @Bosque del Apache NWR

Mallard # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Teal, Cinnamon 3+ @Bosque del Apache NWR

Shoveler, Northern # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Redhead 10+ @Bosque del Apache NWR

Quail, Gambel's # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Grebe, Pied-billed 1 @Bosque del Apache NWR

Aechmophorus sp. 4 @Bosque del Apache NWR

Grebe, Clark's 1 @Bosque del Apache NWR

Heron, Great Blue 1 @Bosque del Apache NWR

Egret, Great # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Egret, Snowy # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Ibis, White-faced # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Vulture, Turkey 1 @Bosque del Apache NWR

Sora 1 @Bosque del Apache NWR

Vocalizations: By grunting noises issuing from cattails.

Moorhen, Common @Bosque del Apache NWR

The last channel that intersects the road before the road reaches the Flight Deck.

Description: Bright red bill with bright yellow tip. Much white on the sides of the tail. I looked for the white blaze on the flanks, but it was invisible except for two brief postures where a very thin line of white showed.

Killdeer # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Avocet, American # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Sandpiper, Spotted 2 @Bosque del Apache NWR

Behavior: These two birds were foraging in the margin of the road, not all that close to the mud.

Phalarope, Wilson's # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Gull, Ring-billed ? @Bosque del Apache NWR

Description: The bird was a long ways out from the Flight Deck, and I didn't have a scope. Because of the fairly pale gray mantle, I couldn't see any reason for it to be one of the rarer gulls. The head was completely white.

Dove, Mourning # @Bosque del Apache NWR

Wood-Pewee, Western @Bosque del Apache NWR