Birds and Nature

I saw the white crane, identified by National Wildlife Refuge regional staff as a leucistic Sandhill Crane, on my return trip when I stopped at Bosque del Apache NWR. And it is still associating (most would call it consorting) with a typical Sandhill Crane. The white on this crane really stands out both in daytime but especially at dusk when I took these photos. Though this white crane stands out like a sore thumb, I saw it and it's partner often in the company of other typical Sandhill Cranes. SeEtta

A few hundred Snow Geese along with a lesser number of Ross's Geese as well as hundreds of various duck species have arrived at Bosque del Apache NWR, though many more will arrive in the next month to spend the winter at this excellent National Wildlife Refuge. SeEtta

Yesterday I found this Harris's Hawk perched several hundred feet in field at Bosque del Apache NWR. Due to the distance the photos are not very good compared with the Harris's Hawk I photographed south of Alamogordo the day before. Harris's Hawks are rare at Bosque del Apache NWR and other parts of central New Mexico. SeEtta Moss

I found this Harris's Hawk south of Alamogordo near the turn off to Oliver Lee State Park. In the bottom pic it looks like it is wearing that electric pole thing as a helmet. SeEtta

I saw 5-10 of these Monarch Butterflies (only 5 if they followed me but more if I was seeing different butterflies) also at Oliver Lee State Park, most in a riparian area in Dog Canyon shown below. This is a small park so I was impressed to see this many Monarchs there. SeEtta

I birded Oliver Lee State Park just south of Alamogordo, NM yesterday and found it to be a jewel both in nice birds and great scenery. I found this empidonax flycatcher species that seems to be a little late in it's migration through here. I also saw a Townsend's Warbler and an unidentified warbler--not bad for this late in October in this small park. In addition to other expected species such as Black-troated Sparrows there were about 4 Rock Wrens near the Visitor Center who were quite inquisitive when I made squeaky noises with my mouth. I have found other Rock Wrens to be less skittish than many birds but this one came within a few feet of me and kept circling me even though my dog Chase was there with me. After about 10 minutes the first Rock Wren was joined by several others that also came quite close. SeEtta

I found this Cactus Wren and a second (partner?) in a mesquite shrub where it believed it was hidden from my view. I took the top 3 pics through the foliage while the bird seemed assured I could not see it.  I am glad I got these close ups as I find it has very pretty brown eyes. Then I carefully walked around a foot or so to get an open shot and was able to get the rest of these pics. This is another iconic southwestern species for me. SeEtta