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.
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.