Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge is a relatively unknown wildlife refuge located on the Pecos River near Roswell, New Mexico. Because I am from Roswell, I grew up going to Bitter Lake on a regular basis. Last weekend I went to Roswell to visit with some friends, and of course I couldn’t wait to make a trip out to the refuge. Bitter Lake is a winter home to many Sandhill Cranes, Snow Geese and other winter migrants. I posted earlier this year about my trip to Bitter Lake in February.
I was surprised by the number of Black-necked Stilts that were at the refuge this past weekend. It appeared that there were at least 100 of them in the ponds. I had a lovely time watching and photographing them.
There were other birds present as well, although many of them were in areas that were too far away for photographs. I am accustomed to seeing White-faced Ibis there, and I love the way that the sun highlights their plumage.
White-faced Ibis
There were lots of Killdeer running around, and I was disappointed that I did not see any little fluffy chicks.
Killdeer
Red-winged Blackbirds sang from the marshy edges of the ponds.
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlarks sang in the grass.
Western Meadowlark
I was interested to see Turkey Vultures walking around near one of the ponds.
Turkey Vulture
And it is always a delight to see Great Egrets.
Great Egret
Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge is a very different place in summer than it is in winter. It is a lovely place to visit any time of year.
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Photo Feathers 
Terrific, Linda. I like the Black-necked Stilts.Would like to see one someday.
Thank you Scott. They are lovely, elegant birds. They breed in summer as far north as Montana, I think, but that’s still pretty far south of where you are. You’re just going to have to plan that trip to NM!
What a variety of birds! Wonderful photos.
Thank you very much for your kind comment Sandy. Bitter Lake is really a lovely place!
Beautiful photos Linda! I love the Black-necked stilts ‘in flight’ pics…….those legs! Looks like a great place to visit, such a nice variety of birds 🙂
Thank you very much Lisa. I love the Black-necked Stilts. They’re such elegant birds, and those long, long legs are amazing. Bitter Lake is a lovely, uncrowded refuge.
You are from Roswell..that explains it 😉
Have never seen Stilts..The RWBIF is stunning..you are so talented..Great post Linda!
Hi Cindy, I’m happy you enjoyed the post. My secret is out–I’m from Roswell. Worse, I was born nine months after the alien crash. 😉 Happy that you like the post and photos.!
Lovely Linda!! I especially LOVE those in-flight shots!!
Thank you Kerri. In-flight photos are always a challenge, and the RWBB was extremely difficult because of the bird’s color. I appreciate your kind comment. 🙂
So pretty! Always look forward to your posts:)
Thank you Cynthia. It’s always fun to get photos of some different birds. I’d not had an opportunity to photograph Black-necked Stilts very often, and I had lots of fun watching and photographing them.
Nice collection of Birdie photos! Do the Stilts nest there?
Thank you Lovely Dawn. Yes, Bitter Lake is a summer breeding ground for Black-necked Stilts. I was disappointed that I didn’t see any little fluffball stilt chicks when I was there.
Great post, Linda. You just added another place that I would like to visit. I didn’t know about the Bitter Lake refuge.
I’ve gone there my whole life as I’m from Roswell. It’s a lovely and important refuge that straddles the Pecos River in Southeastern NM. It’s well worth a visit!
Linda, that wildlife refuge looks like a lovely place to go birding. Terrific series of photographs! Love the elegant Black-necked Stilt captures, especially the in-flight shots. I think I could spend all day enjoying the wildlife at a lovely lake like that. Awesome!
Bitter Lake is a lovely wildlife refuge in a sparsely-populated area of New Mexico. It’s a lovely place to visit. I can easily spend a weekend there. 🙂
A wonderful cornucopia of birds! I love the Black-necked Stilts, they are so very elegant.
I agree with you Mia. I love those elegant birds! I was delighted to see so many of them at Bitter Lake. 🙂
Lovely views of the black-necked stilts Linda! You were blessed with many wonderful sighting at Bitter Lake 🙂 Looks like a beautiful place to visit.
Thank you Debbie. I was expecting things to be very quiet at Bitter Lake, and the Black-necked Stilts were a pleasant and welcome surprise. 🙂
Wonderful grouping of NWR shots!! I love going to NWRs :-)) I especially liked your in-flight Stilt shots!
Thank you Cindy! It’s always a pleasure to go to Bitter Lake. 🙂
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Hey Linda.. Gorgeous shots of the birfdies! So much beauty in NM’
You’re just going to have to come back here Cindy. There’s a great deal that you didn’t see!! I’d love for you to come and stay in my birder guest quarters. Just let me know when it will work for you.