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Shipman's field notes, Mar 2008

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2008-03-04: NM: Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

@TBay: Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay
Wigeon, American 150+ @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay
Canvasback 5 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay
Duck, Ring-necked # @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay
Coot, American # @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay
Creeper, Brown 1 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay
Kinglet, Ruby-crowned 2 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay
Robin, American 1 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay
Warbler, Yellow-rumped 12+ @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay
Warbler, Audubon's # @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay
Description: Some starting pre-alternate molt.
Warbler, Myrtle # @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay
Junco, Dark-eyed # @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay

2008-03-06: NM: Socorro County

@NMT: Socorro: New Mexico Tech
@SAnt: San Antonio
@SocCo: Socorro County
Towhee, Canyon 2 @San Antonio
Together on a brush pile just north of Acosta's Restaurant.
Junco, Dark-eyed # @Socorro: New Mexico Tech

2008-03-07: NM: New Mexico Tech

@NMT: New Mexico Tech
Chickadee, Mountain 1 @New Mexico Tech
In a tree hard by the Tech Swim Center.

2008-03-09: NM: Socorro County

@A101: Socorro Co. A-101
@Chap: Socorro: Chaparral Drive
@SNA: Lemitar: Socorro Nature Area
@SocCo: Socorro County
Route Ca. 1200, traveled A-101 from San Antonio to Luis Lopez, then NM-1 to Socorro, thence up Chaparral Drive and Loop. 1345, arrive Socorro Nature Area, walk the 1-mile loop. 1600, leave SNA.
Film F3, roll of Fuji 200-36 in progress, start frame 19. 1310, end roll started 2008-02-24T12:30, load new Fuji 200-36. Sequence through frame 20 of Spotted Towhee, most at 1/125.
Found a few red ants out foraging on the SNA loop trail. These were not like the Pogonomyrmex ants from my driveway at home (which are not out yet). These are all-red, and their hills are surrounded by patches of sand only a few inches in diameter.
Goose, Canada 2+ @Lemitar: Socorro Nature Area
Many calls heard from the riverbed; two birds seen.
Wigeon, American 300+ @Socorro Co. A-101
In one or two tight flocks in a dry, mowed field nowhere near water.
2008-03-09a4037
Hawk, Red-tailed 1a @Socorro: Chaparral Drive
Description:
Dark adult bird. Many years ago when I was working with the NM Game & Fish Roadside Raptor Survey, I referred to most average birds as “intermediate phase”, meaning that they had a complete or almost complete dark belly band on a light background. By “light phase” I meant the desert-habitat birds commonly seen around Hobbs or the Maljamar-Hagerman cutoff, immaculate below or nearly so.
However, the Sibley Guide to Birds uses a different terminology. I've seen a number of what he calls dark-phase birds, with coal-black underparts. However, his “intermediate adult” illustration shows a bird with mostly dark underparts but much rufous on the breast. I don't recall seeing this plumage before, but today's bird was a pretty good match.
2008-03-09-00332008-03-09-00342008-03-09-00292008-03-09-00322008-03-09-00372008-03-09-0036
Kestrel, American 
2 @Socorro: Chaparral Drive
2-4 @Lemitar: Socorro Nature Area
Gull, Ring-billed 25 @Lemitar: Socorro Nature Area
Irrigated field just west of Socorro Nature Area, with many American Crows.
Roadrunner, Greater 1 @Socorro: Chaparral Drive
2008-03-09a4039
Phoebe, Say's 
4 @Socorro Co. A-101
1 @Lemitar: Socorro Nature Area
Crow, American 
# @Socorro Co. A-101
# @Lemitar: Socorro Nature Area
Raven, Chihuahuan 20+ @Socorro: Chaparral Drive
In and around the pig farm between Chaparral Drive and Chaparral Loop.
Vocalizations: 'rack' call, various gurgles
Kinglet, Ruby-crowned 1 @Lemitar: Socorro Nature Area
Towhee, Spotted 2 @Lemitar: Socorro Nature Area
Sparrow, Song 2 @Lemitar: Socorro Nature Area
One in cattails at the small pond. Another in brush near the entrance gate.
Vocalizations: 'peerp' notes.
Sparrow, White-crowned # @Lemitar: Socorro Nature Area
Meadowlark, Western # @Socorro Co. A-101
Vocalizations: Singing.
2008-03-09-00242008-03-09-00232008-03-09-0021

2008-03-22: NM: Socorro County

@NM408: Lemitar: NM-408, Socorro Nature Area to San Acacia
@SocCo: Socorro County
@SocNA: Lemitar: Socorro Nature Area
Route
1300, on the loop at Socorro Nature Area.
1520, drive NM-408 north to Midway, frontage road back.
First Mourning Cloak butterfly of the spring.
Kestrel, American 5 @Lemitar: Socorro Nature Area
Gull, Franklin's @Lemitar: Socorro Nature Area
Description: Dark lines on the upperwing, so not a Ring-bull.
Pigeon, Rock # @Lemitar: NM-408, Socorro Nature Area to San Acacia
Dove, Mourning 1 @Lemitar: NM-408, Socorro Nature Area to San Acacia
Roadrunner, Greater 1 @Lemitar: NM-408, Socorro Nature Area to San Acacia
Phoebe, Black 1 @Lemitar: Socorro Nature Area
Phoebe, Say's 2 @Lemitar: Socorro Nature Area
Crow, American 100 @Lemitar: NM-408, Socorro Nature Area to San Acacia
About two miles north of Lemitar Road, grouped in two trees.
Raven, Chihuahuan 2 @Lemitar: Socorro Nature Area
Vocalizations: 'rack'
Wren, Bewick's 1 @Lemitar: Socorro Nature Area
Sparrow, White-crowned # @Lemitar: Socorro Nature Area
Numbers thinning out.
Blackbird, Red-winged @Lemitar: NM-408, Socorro Nature Area to San Acacia

2008-03-23: NM: Socorro

@Diag: Socorro: Diagonal from Hope Farm
@Soc: Socorro
@home: Socorro: 507 Fitch
Swallow, Northern Rough-winged @Socorro: Diagonal from Hope Farm
My first swallow of the year.
Thrasher, Curve-billed 1 @Socorro: 507 Fitch
Finch, Cassin's 1♀ @Socorro: 507 Fitch
Siskin, Pine 1 @Socorro: 507 Fitch

2008-03-24: NM: Albuquerque: Bear Canyon Arroyo x Juan Tabo

@ABQ: Albuquerque: Bear Canyon Arroyo x Juan Tabo
Raven, Chihuahuan 1 @Albuquerque: Bear Canyon Arroyo x Juan Tabo
Vocalizations: 'rack'

2008-03-30: NM: Albuquerque: Cesar Chavez x Yale

@ABQ: Albuquerque: Cesar Chavez x Yale
Crow, American 10+ @Albuquerque: Cesar Chavez x Yale
This cemetery is a core habitat for wintering crows. The low numbers here were my last observation of them there for the winter.

2008-03-31: NM: Socorro: New Mexico Tech

@NMT: Socorro: New Mexico Tech
Swallow, Barn 1 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech
First of the year.
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Last updated: 2011-05-23 18:54 MDT