Monthly Archives: February 2022

Listserv Posts

Re: Albuquerque spots

Bosque del Apache is great if you can budget most of a day to justify the 2.5-3 hour round trip.  Closer to town, check out Valle del Oro NWR in Albuquerque’s south valley (https://ebird.org/hotspot/L1778306, ).  I agree with the suggestion of the Rio Grande Nature Center (https://ebird.org/hotspot/L196306) and associated trail system, and any of the eBird hotspots in the Corrales area (e.g., https://ebird.org/hotspot/L1145419, https://ebird.org/hotspot/L628928) provide additional excellent birding on the floodplain.  The road to Sandia Crest features many worthwhile stops sampling habitats from 5000 to over 10,000 feet, and a few Rosy-Finches might still be lingering at the Crest House (http://cnmas.newmexicoaudubon.org/conservation/the-rosy-finch-project/).  You’ll be just a little early for most migrants, but a few early species should be arriving, and resident birds should be active and singing.

Good Birding!
  
Carl Lundblad
Corvallis, OR
formerly Moscow, ID
originally Albuquerque, NM
Listserv Posts

Re: Albuquerque spots

Hi John,
Definitely go to
Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. It is 95 miles south (I-25) but would be worth the visit! Here is what the website says about spring…

Spring (mid-February through mid-May)
The wetlands that were home to thousands of ducks, geese, and cranes all winter are slowly emptied of water in the spring, providing prime feeding grounds for migrating sandpipers, stilts, plovers, dunlins, curlews, avocets, and twenty other shorebird species.
Spring wildflowers add a bit more color to the landscape, and greater roadrunners dart across and alongside the auto tour loop and Highway 1 in search of sluggish lizards and snakes.

Spring is also when flycatchers, vireos, and a dozen species of warblers filter through, either as a rest stop on migration or as they determine the best locations for their nesting territories on the refuge. 

My husband and I have been there in November and if we ever get to NM again, Bosque is a definite visit. 

Lynda
(Eagle, ID)

From: IBLE@groups.io <IBLE@groups.io> on behalf of JP <johnpowell20@…>
Sent: Wednesday, February 9, 2022 3:22 PM
To: IBLE@groups.io <IBLE@groups.io>
Subject: [IBLE] Albuquerque spots

 

We are heading to Albuquerque, NM toward the end of March for a short vacation.  Does anyone have a couple first-hand suggestions for good birding spots?  I won’t have a ton of time, but hope to sneak away a couple times.

Thanks!

John in Cascade

Listserv Posts

Re: Albuquerque spots

John,

ABQ has several great destinations nearby. Sandia Crest is a good high elevation option, with several downslope options on the drive. Tingly Beach has a good riparian area (called a bosque) that can provide fun encounters. Perhaps one of the better known places is the Rio Grande Nature Center <https://shadetreeimaging.com/memories-of-the-rio-grande-nature-center/>. The Botanic Gardens in the BioPark can be fun. There are other locations, but these are some of my favorites.

Listserv Posts

Re: Williamson’s Sapsucker

Good deal there on the re-finding Peter. Was hoping the bird would come back for you. When I last saw it yesterday it had shot out of the tree in full AB, sorry, afterburner.
For those of you who want to try for the bird, the Lander St. STP parking is closed due to construction at the plant. Access is from Willow Lane. Enter the park, drive all the way to the rear parking area across from the ball park. Go upstream or East, if you prefer, on the G’belt. Directions as listed in Tom’s posting.
CGB. RL