Summer Birds of the East Mountains

(RICH TEXT FORMAT)

Sandia Ranger District Wednesday Bird Walk and Rosy-Finch programs receive
National "Eyes on Wildlife Viewing Sites" award (Full Text)

In the spring of 2004, the bird walks explored a variety of habitats to maximize diversity and number of species:

May 5^th Three Gun Spring Trail (representative bird species: Scott’s Oriole, Curve-billed and Crissal Thrashers, Rufous-crowned Sparrow)

May 12^th South Crest Trail (representative bird species: Hepatic Tanager, Warbling Vireo, Canyon Wren)

May 19^th Otero Canyon (representative bird species: Gray Flycatcher, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Western Wood-pewee)

May 26^th Cienega Canyon Picnic Area (representative bird species: Grace’s Warbler, Plumbeous Vireo, Red-naped Sapsucker)

June 2^nd Capulin Spring Picnic Area (representative bird species: Dusky Flycatcher, Western Tanager, Band-tailed Pigeon)

June 9^th Sandia Crest (representative bird species: Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, House Wren, Green-tailed Towhee)

Call the Sandia District Ranger Station at 505-281-3304 for current bird walk schedule and more information or for directions to these locations.
Also visit the Web site at http://www.rosyfinch.com

and link to "Birding the Sandias.”

HIGHLIGHTS, 2004 Spring Walks:
May 5, Tres Pistolas: 24 species seen. Male Scott's Oriole appeared repeatedly. Several Curve-billed Thrashers, Green-tailed Towhee and Scaled Quail.
May 12, South Crest Trail: 23 species (37 cumulative). Great close-up views of Canyon Wren, singing vigorously. Also singing Black-throated Gray Warbler, Western Wood-pewee, Plumbeous and Warbling Vireos, many White-winged Doves
May 19, Otero Canyon: 31 species (44 cumulative). There was water in the creek near the trail head. It attracted numerous birds, including Western Tanager, Cassin's Kingbird, Green-tailed Towhee, Western Wood-pewee, and Gray Flycatcher (which usually is found only by hikng in about a quarter mile).
May 26, Cienega Canyon: 22 species (47 cumulative). Quite cold (mid-50s) with intermittent showers, which kept the birds down. Heard but never caught sight of Cordilleran Flycatcher (though we did observe a newly-constructed nest). Had great views of Red-naped Sapsucker at nest hole. Missed Grace's Warbler and Black-throated Gray Warbler-- in fact we heard very few birds singing under these conditions. The company was wonderful, and we hope for greater things next week at Capulin Spring!
June 2, Capulin Spring: 36 species (61 cumulative), including those seen while we assembled at Doc Long and on the 10K trek after the "main event." As the sun reached the tops of the trees at Doc Long, we saw several species we missed on the bad weather day last week at Cienega: Cordilleran Flycatcher (heard but not seen last week), Pygmy Nuthatch, Grace's Warbler (great views as they weaved their way through the tips of the Ponderosas). At Capulin, we first visited the Snow Play area, where Dusky Flycatchers eluded us. For "dessert" we gathered at The Log. Water flow has decreased considerably, which causes the birds to concentrate. It was almost like cheating as we watched the parade of all the usual suspects: Western Tanager, Yellow-rumped, Virginia's and MacGillivray's Warblers, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Pine Siskins, Hermit Thrushes, Green Towhee... It was hard to break away! Ken later proceeded to the 10K Trailhead (Click here and then scroll down for a Panoramic winter view of this spectacular location), where he found a pair of Dusky Flycatchers in the aspen sapling grove to the south of the Crest Road (this is uphill, or to the left as one ascends Crest Road). Then he followed the trail downhill to the north, that borders the Crest Aspen clearcut and controlled burn of 2003. This is a delightful new habitat-- while it yielded no Dusky Flycatchers, the emerging Aspen promise them in the next few years. Western Bluebirds and Violet-green Swallows appeared to be nesting at the edges. Fire-weakened Douglas-fir and a few surviving Corkbark Fir and Englemann Spruce seemed to provide ideal habitat for the exterpitated American Three-toed Woodpecker, not seen in the Sandias for nearly 10 years now, and of course not present today. Next week will be the last Sandia walk for Ken and Mary Lou, who will soon relocate to Florida.
June 9, Sandia Crest: 29 species, 62 cumulative. Before ascending to the Crest, we looked in vain for the Red-faced Warbler that had been reported at Doc Long the week before. On the way up we encountered a Wild Turkey past mile post 13, which is above 10,000 feet and only about 1/4 mile from the summit. This past winter a flock of 22 had been released at Balsam Glade (7.5 mile mark, 8,600 feet). Staff at Crest House said they recently saw up to five birds along the road near that location, [and adults with young were subsequently seen along the 10K Trail in 2005]. Groups of half a dozen have appeared at and near the Paa-Ko Golf Course and in back yards along the lower reaches of the Crest Road. At the Crest we got good views of both kinglets and the Green-tailed Towhee.

2003 SUMMER BIRDS AT THREE DIFFERENT ELEVATIONS ALONG THE SANDIA CREST ROAD (NM 536)

Sponsored by the Sandia RD, conducted by Ken Schneider et al, and compiled by Hart R. Schwarz

Key to interpreting the table: Ken and Mary Lou led 21 morning bird walks, seven to each of three venues between May 21, 2003 and October 9, 2003. The three sites provide a good cross section of the birds to be found on the heavily forested east side of the Sandia Mountains during summer and fall. From the birding perspective, summer comprises the months of June and July, but in this presentation I have considered late May as “summer” also. Under the same scheme, fall extends from August through November. The three birding sites and their designations in the table are as follows:

On these 21 hikes, 66 bird species were recorded, of which 58 (all those with an asterisk) breed in the Sandias, although not necessarily where they were seen. The Lark Sparrow on 8-13 for instance, was a fall migrant along the Crest, but they do breed in the grasslands and shrublands of the foothills.

Note: Anybody birding the eastern slope of the Sandias from late May through mid October can use this list of 66 species and be assured that it reflects at least 95% of the birds that will be encountered. For a complete list of all 253 species that have been sighted in the Sandias, you can refer to Ken’s web page at "Birding the Sandias-- USFS Check List" or you can obtain the brochure hard copy entitled: “Birds of the Sandia and Manzano Mountains” at the Tijeras Ranger Station.

Central NM Audubon Society sponsors frequent field trips, including local bird walks almost every Thursday morning.

Turkey Vulture
Northern Goshawk
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Peregrine Falcon
Band-tailed Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Northern Pygmy-owl
White-throated Swift
Rufous Hummingbird
Calliope Hummingbird
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Northern Flicker
Red-naped Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Western Wood-Pewee
Say's Phoebe
Dusky Flycatcher
Cordilleran Flycatcher
Violet-green Swallow
Pinyon Jay
Steller's Jay
Clark's Nutcracker
Common Raven
Mountain Chickadee
Bushtit
Brown Creeper
White-breasted Nuthatch
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Pygmy Nuthatch
House Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Western Bluebird
Townsend's Solitaire
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Plumbeous Vireo
Cassin's Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Orange-crowned Warbler
Virginia's Warbler
MacGillivray's Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Townsend's Warbler
Grace's Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Black-headed Grosbeak
Blue Grosbeak
Green-tailed Towhee
Spotted Towhee
Lark Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-crowned Sparrow
Bullock's Oriole
Western Tanager
Pine Siskin
Lesser Goldfinch
Red Crossbill
SKY
WIND:
TOTAL SPECIES (66 cumulative)	23-18-21-25-29-25-15	24-24-24-20-24-15-15	23-19-26-31-23-22-14