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Shipman's field notes, May 2009

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2009-05-02: NM: New Mexico Tech

@NMT: New Mexico Tech
Towhee, Canyon 1 @New Mexico Tech
Near Facilities Management building, crawling around cars in the parking lot.

2009-05-03: NM: Socorro: 507 Fitch

@home: Socorro: 507 Fitch
Sparrow, White-crowned 1 @Socorro: 507 Fitch
Siskin, Pine # @Socorro: 507 Fitch

2009-05-07: NM: Socorro: 507 Fitch

@home: Socorro: 507 Fitch
Thrasher, Curve-billed 2 @Socorro: 507 Fitch
A month or more ago, my local thrasher started a nest in a cholla, then abandoned it. More recently the nest, which was just big sticks, had some finer material added to the top. Today a bird was sitting on it as I drove away.

2009-05-09: NM: Socorro County (NAMC)

Notable:  Gray Vireo; Townsend's Warbler; Blackpoll Warbler; Northern Waterthrush; Kentucky Warbler; Rose-breasted Grosbeak
@Chap: Socorro: Chaparral Road and Chaparral Loop
@Riv: Socorro: Riverine Parks, #5 through #1
@Soc: Socorro: city
@SocW: Socorro: scrublands on west side
@TBay: Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay
@day: Socorro County (NAMC)
@home: Socorro: 507 Fitch St. NW
Route
All these records pertain to the North American Migration Count for Socorro County. Effort data: 6.88 hours and 26.70 miles total; 4.25 hours and 1.10 miles by foot; 2.63 hours and 25.60 miles by car.
05:55, start driving, trip odometer to 0.0; Evergreen road and adjacent rural areas.
06:12, walk about 0.8 in mesquite scrublands and draws.
07:49, drive to Turtle Bay on the Tech campus.
08:30, walk about 0.3 in and around Turtle Bay.
11:08, drive to Chaparral Drive and Loop, then on the river dike south, visiting Riverine Park sites #5 through #1 in reverse order, then a bit of Hope Farms Road.
12:48, stop, odometer 25.6.
Almost the entire time I spent at Turtle Bay overlapped with Gary Froehlich. Note to the compiler: for any of my Turtle Bay birds, assume that Gary saw it too. If our counts of a species there differed, use the maximum, not the sum, of our two counts.
Wigeon, American 10 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay
Duck, Ring-necked 1 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay
2009-05-09-7704
Lingering late.
Quail, Gambel's 36 @Socorro County (NAMC)
Egret, Cattle 8 @Socorro: Chaparral Road and Chaparral Loop
Kestrel, American 1 @Socorro: Chaparral Road and Chaparral Loop
Sandpiper, Spotted 1 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay
2009-05-09-7706
Pigeon, Rock @Socorro: city
Collared-Dove, Eurasian 9 @Socorro County (NAMC)
Dove, White-winged 40 @Socorro County (NAMC)
Dove, Mourning 8 @Socorro County (NAMC)
Dove, Inca 1 @Socorro: 507 Fitch St. NW
Hummingbird, Black-chinned 2 @Socorro County (NAMC)
Woodpecker, Ladder-backed 1 @Socorro: Riverine Parks, #5 through #1
Phoebe, Say's 3 @Socorro County (NAMC)
Kingbird, Cassin's 1 @Socorro: scrublands on west side
2009-05-09-75922009-05-09-7591
Kingbird, Western 21 @Socorro County (NAMC)
Vireo, Gray 1 @Socorro: scrublands on west side
Habitat is typical of the species: a fairly steep slope covered mainly with mesquite, mixed with some cholla.
Vocalizations: It was the song that got my attention. It was vaguely like “Solitary” vireos, but the phrases were simpler, with a distinctly longer gap between them. There were also more of the phrases that go up and then down, compared to the ones that go down and then up, which is something I noticed the only other time I've seen this bird, in Glenwood, NM, 1988-09-08.
2009-05-09-75872009-05-09-75862009-05-09-7584
Raven, Chihuahuan 4 @Socorro: Chaparral Road and Chaparral Loop
Swallow, Cliff 20 @Socorro: Chaparral Road and Chaparral Loop
Swallow, Barn 31 @Socorro County (NAMC)
Robin, American 27 @Socorro County (NAMC)
Mockingbird, Northern 11 @Socorro County (NAMC)
Thrasher, Curve-billed 3 @Socorro County (NAMC)
Starling, European 2 @Socorro County (NAMC)
Phainopepla 4 @Socorro County (NAMC)
Warbler, Virginia's 1 @Socorro: scrublands on west side
Warbler, Yellow 1 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay
Warbler, Audubon's 2 @Socorro County (NAMC)
Warbler, Townsend's 1 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay
2009-05-09-76392009-05-09-7640
Warbler, Blackpoll 1 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay
2009-05-09-76932009-05-09-76872009-05-09-76912009-05-09-76962009-05-09-76992009-05-09-76672009-05-09-76752009-05-09-76762009-05-09-76572009-05-09-76642009-05-09-7670
Unlike the Kentucky, this bird was quite obliging, allowing close approach and lots of photos.
Waterthrush, Northern 1 @Socorro County (NAMC)
2009-05-09-76792009-05-09-7681
Warbler, Kentucky 1 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay
Description: Similar to Wilson's Warbler, but a black facial feature just touches the eye and goes down the cheek.
2009-05-09-7637
Got no pictures that will prove the ID, but this bird was seen by many others. In particular, Gary Froehlich got an absolute full-frame stunner of the bird in profile and good light, lest there be any doubt whatever.
A lifer for me!
Warbler, MacGillivray's 2 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay
Warbler, Wilson's 10 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay
Towhee, Green-tailed 2 @Socorro: scrublands on west side
Towhee, Canyon 1 @Socorro: city
Sparrow, Chipping 57 @Socorro County (NAMC)
Sparrow, Brewer's 4 @Socorro: scrublands on west side
2009-05-09-76142009-05-09-76022009-05-09-7603
Sparrow, Black-throated 2 @Socorro: scrublands on west side
Sparrow, Lincoln's 1 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay
Sparrow, White-crowned 3 @Socorro County (NAMC)
Tanager, Summer 
1 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay
1 @Socorro: Riverine Parks, #5 through #1
Tanager, Western 1 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay
Grosbeak, Rose-breasted @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay
2009-05-09-7683
Grosbeak, Black-headed 2 @Socorro: New Mexico Tech: Turtle Bay
Meadowlark, Western 4 @Socorro: Chaparral Road and Chaparral Loop
Grackle, Great-tailed 13 @Socorro County (NAMC)
Cowbird, Brown-headed 6 @Socorro County (NAMC)
Oriole, Bullock's 3 @Socorro County (NAMC)
Finch, House 10 @Socorro County (NAMC)
Sparrow, House 42 @Socorro County (NAMC)

2009-05-09: NM: Socorro County

Notable:  Willet; Whimbrel; Marbled Godwit; Bonaparte's Gull; Franklin's Gull
@A101: Socorro County Road A-101 (Farm-Market)
@BdA: Bosque del Apache NWR
@day: Socorro County
Goose, Canada @Bosque del Apache NWR
Shoveler, Northern # @Bosque del Apache NWR
Grebe, Pied-billed 1 @Bosque del Apache NWR
Egret, Great 1 @Bosque del Apache NWR
Egret, Snowy # @Bosque del Apache NWR
Vulture, Turkey @Bosque del Apache NWR
Coot, American @Bosque del Apache NWR
Avocet, American # @Bosque del Apache NWR
Willet 2 @Bosque del Apache NWR
2009-05-09-7723
Whimbrel 2 @Bosque del Apache NWR
2009-05-09-7720
Godwit, Marbled 1 @Bosque del Apache NWR
2009-05-09-7746
Gull, Bonaparte's 1 @Bosque del Apache NWR
2009-05-09-7718
Gull, Franklin's 3 @Bosque del Apache NWR
2009-05-09-77332009-05-09-77242009-05-09-77262009-05-09-7729
Wren, Bewick's 1 @Bosque del Apache NWR
Towhee, Spotted 1 @Bosque del Apache NWR
Sparrow, Lark 3 @Socorro County Road A-101 (Farm-Market)
Grosbeak, Rose-breasted 1♂ @Bosque del Apache NWR
In the bushes right by the bank of hummingbird feeders on the west side of the headquarters building.
2009-05-09-77522009-05-09-7749
Blackbird, Red-winged @Bosque del Apache NWR

2009-05-10: NM: Socorro: 507 Fitch

@home: Socorro: 507 Fitch
Thrasher, Curve-billed 1 @Socorro: 507 Fitch

2009-05-10: NM: Socorro: 507 Fitch

@home: Socorro: 507 Fitch
Thrasher, Curve-billed 1 @Socorro: 507 Fitch
Breeding: Still sitting tight on the nest.

2009-05-14: NM: Socorro: 507 Fitch

@home: Socorro: 507 Fitch
Thrasher, Curve-billed @Socorro: 507 Fitch
Breeding: Sitting on the nest.
Sparrow, White-crowned 1 @Socorro: 507 Fitch

2009-05-15: NM: Socorro: 507 Fitch

@home: Socorro: 507 Fitch
Thrasher, Curve-billed @Socorro: 507 Fitch
Breeding: Still sitting. Sometimes the nest has no one sitting on it (I haven't ventured to look inside for fear of disrupting breeding). I hope the nest hasn't been parasitized by cowbirds.
Cowbird, Brown-headed 10 @Socorro: 507 Fitch

2009-05-19: NM: Socorro: 507 Fitch

@home: Socorro: 507 Fitch
Mockingbird, Northern 1 @Socorro: 507 Fitch
Vocalizations: Singing like mad not far from the thrasher nest.
Thrasher, Curve-billed @Socorro: 507 Fitch
Breeding: Still sitting on the nest.

2009-05-22: NM: Socorro: 507 Fitch

@home: Socorro: 507 Fitch
Thrasher, Curve-billed @Socorro: 507 Fitch
Breeding: Sitting on the nest.

2009-05-24: NM: Socorro: 507 Fitch

@home: Socorro: 507 Fitch
Thrasher, Curve-billed @Socorro: 507 Fitch
Breeding: Sitting on the nest.

2009-05-27: NM: Socorro: 507 Fitch

@home: Socorro: 507 Fitch
Thrasher, Curve-billed @Socorro: 507 Fitch
Breeding: Sitting on the nest.

2009-05-28: NM: Socorro: 507 Fitch

@home: Socorro: 507 Fitch
Thrasher, Curve-billed @Socorro: 507 Fitch
Breeding: Adult feeding two young at the nest. The young have bills about 3/8 adult length and soft mouth corners.
2009-05-29-7847
The nest is right in the middle of this photo. The bird must be awfully used to me, since this is roughly five feet from the driver's side door where I park my car.

2009-05-30: NM: Albuquerque: Girard x Monte Vista

@ABQ: Albuquerque: Girard x Monte Vista
Roadrunner, Greater 1 @Albuquerque: Girard x Monte Vista
Walking right down the sidewalk in front of the Chocolate Cafe.
This is a pretty urban location! My friend Nan, who lives near Girard x Coal, sees roadrunners in her neighborhood, but that's a lot closer to the open space of the cemetery at Garfield x Columbia.
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Last updated: 2011-05-23 18:54 MDT