A Summer Visit to Bosque del Apache

A couple of weekends ago Bosque Bill and I decided to visit Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. Bill is very enthusiastic about dragonflies, and there are many of them at Bosque del Apache in summer. I am always up for a road trip. It had been several years since I had visited there in summer, and I was looking forward to seeing the refuge. I knew it would be hot, and so I packed lots of cold drinks along with a cold picnic lunch.

We arrived at the refuge at mid-morning. As usual, the view across the refuge toward the hills was lovely.

Looking across the refuge toward the hills.

It was interesting to see that in summer, the areas which in fall and winter are ponds for migrating birds are covered with plants that will become food for ducks, geese and cranes when the ponding areas are flooded in fall.

In fall this area will be flooded and will become a pond for migrating waterfowl.

With temperatures hovering near 100ºF there was not a great deal of bird activity, but we did see a few birds:

A Great Blue Heron hunts in an acequia

A Black Phoebe hunts for insects at a pond on the Marsh Loop.

An unruly gang of Neotropic Cormorants were roosting on snags along the Seasonal road.

Neotropic Cormorants

We saw Blue Grosbeaks and Northern Mockingbirds and a few raptors. Either they were too far away for photos, or I was not quick enough with my camera. What we did see were dragonflies. They were beautiful!

Red Saddlebags (Tramea onusta)

Black Saddlebags (Tramea lacerata)

Blue Darter

By early afternoon Bosque Bill and I were hot and tired, and we took a break to eat our picnic lunch and tour the Visitor’s Center. After a lovely lunch we walked around the Visitor’s Center. Bosque Bill flushed a large covey of Gambel’s Quail sheltering from the midday sun under a Three-Leaf Sumac. I don’t know who was more startled, Bill or the quail. I was laughing so hard that I didn’t get a photo.

I sat in the (blessedly) air-conditioned Visitor’s Center and enjoyed watching the birds at the feeders. Black-chinned Hummingbirds and Rufous Hummingbirds were very busy defending the food source. I took some photos through the viewing window.

A male Rufous Hummingbird vigilantly guards the feeder.

Black-chinned Hummingbirds share the feeder with the Rufous Hummingbird.

Another look at the hummingbirds around the feeder.

There were Bullock’s and Scott’s Orioles at the feeders as well.

The hummingbirds fled when a Scott's Oriole landed on the feeder.

This Scott's Oriole likes hummingbird nectar.

A Bullock's Oriole watches from a nearby tree …

… and announces his arrival at the feeder.

Very few people visit Bosque del Apache in summer. It is hot, and it lacks the large numbers of migratory waterfowl that are present in the other seasons. There is still a great deal to see.

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Hummingbird Chicks at the Rio Grande Nature Center

It has been extremely dry in New Mexico this year. There have been many terrible fires that have caused a great deal of damage. Because of the extreme fire damage, many of the areas that I like to visit to watch and photograph birds and wildlife have been closed to the public. Last weekend, after I visited a local Farmer’s Market, I decided to see if the Rio Grande Nature Center was open. The nature center and the grounds around it were open, although the part that extends into the Rio Grande Bosque was closed. While I was walking around the grounds, I saw quite a few Black-chinned Hummingbirds. One landed on a branch fairly close to me. As I stopped to observe her, I noticed that she had two chicks in a nest near where she landed. The nest was inside a large bush, and the lighting conditions were not the best. However, I was able to take a number of photographs.

Black-chinned Hummingbird chicks.

Black-chinned Hummingbird chicks, another angle.

Waiting for Mom to come back to the nest.

I hoped that if I stayed quietly near the nest, the mother hummingbird would return to feed the chicks. I stood quietly and waited, and she arrived within five minutes.

Mom hummingbird arrives at the nest.

Feeding one of the chicks.

The second chick looks impatient.

The other chick is fed.

An un-cropped photo shows how tiny the nest really is.

Apparently when Mom Hummingbird is not taking care of the chicks she can be found hanging out at the local bar.

Local hummingbird bar.

When I stopped by the Rio Grande Nature Center a little more than a week later, the chicks had fledged and the nest was deserted. I will check back to see if this little hummingbird mom will raise more chicks this year.

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Wordless Wednesday-Wings on Wednesday

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Wordless Wednesday-Wings on Wednesday

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Gambel’s Quail Chicks in Corrales

Every year I await the arrival of Gambel’s Quail chicks with a great deal of anticipation. The problem with photographing quail chicks is that they run very fast, and they hide very well. I was fortunate to see a quail family running across the road late last week when I was on my way to work.

Please note that the photos in this post are not very sharp as I stayed well away from the quail to keep from alarming the parents and frightening the chicks.

Not a very clear photo, but I counted 21 chicks crossing the road. That's a lot for one brood!

Dad Quail stood watch from a Four-wing Saltbush while Mom Quail led the chicks across the road.

Gambel's Quail

Using my vehicle as a blind, I watched the chicks as they scurried for cover after crossing the road.

Gambel's Quail chicks scurry for cover after crossing the road.

More Gambel's Quail chicks seek cover in the Three-leaf Sumac.

All of the chicks crossed the road, and Mom Gambel’s Quail herded the last of the chicks to safety.

Mom Gambel's Quail herds the last of the chicks to safety.

I tried to get a close-up photo of one of the chicks. This slightly fuzzy photo of a fuzzy quail chick was the best that I could manage:

On Sunday I was excited to see that an entire Gambel’s Quail family had stopped for lunch in my garden. I do not know if it was the same family, but it was a very large family. Dad Quail watched while Mom quail and the chicks ate …

Dad Gambel's Quail watches while Mom Quail and the chicks eat lunch.

… then Mom Quail watched while Dad Quail ate and the chicks continued to eat.

Mom Quail watches while Dad Quail and the chicks eat.

Everyone took a final bite or two, and the quail family prepared to leave.

The quail family prepares to leave.

The family left along the garden wall, which we call the “Quail Highway.”

Adios! Hasta la vista. . .

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Nuthatch Babies!

This past Saturday afternoon I met some friends for pizza and beer on the east side of the Sandia mountains. It’s fun to spend time with friends whom you have originally met online and later meet in person. These friends–Rich, Gin, Marlita, Eric and Wendy–are even nicer and more fun in person than they are online. After we finished our lunch, Rich and Gin invited us to their lovely place in a rural residential area. Their garden area reminded me of the birding venues in Arizona where people open their homes to birders and allow them to sit in their yards and gardens to photograph birds. The major attraction for me was a large gourd containing a White-breasted Nuthatch nest.

Both parents were very diligent in attending to the nest. We could hear that there were chicks in the nest, but we were not able to see into the gourd. We were really anxious to get a look at the chicks.

Talking to the chicks in the nest.

A morsel for hungry chicks.

A morsel for hungry babies, another view.

One parent goes into the nest …

… and emerges from the nest carrying a fecal sac for disposal.

The parents work hard all afternoon, hunting to feed their chicks.

A Western Wood-Pewee watched from a nearby tree.

A Western Wood-Pewee keeps its eye on the scene.

A nuthatch parent returns to the nest with more food for the chicks.

For the first time we get a glimpse of one of the chicks.

White-breasted Nuthatch parent and chick.

The parent emerges with more waste.

This tiny, still-blind, chick was not ready for the parent to leave, and noisily demanded more food.

Tiny, blind nuthatch chick.

It called for the parents while they hunted …

The tiny chick continues to call for the parents.

… and was joined by a second chick.

We were finally able to see two chicks. Wonder if there are more?

What good nuthatch parents!

A good nuthatch parent!

I hope I can go back to take more photos when the chicks are a bit bigger!

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Wordless Wednesday-Wings on Wednesday

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Wordless Wednesday-Wings on Wednesday

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A Trip to Bandelier National Monument, Part II

At the close of A Trip to Bandelier National Monument, Part I we were about to return to the Nature Trail after making a detour to Alcove House at Bandelier National Monument.

We saw a Mule Deer doe browsing quite close to the trail. She was not concerned about three photographers pointing long lenses at her, and she continued to consume a great deal of Gambel Oak as we photographed her.

Mule Deer doe

A hungry girl.

This cute little Rock Squirrel paused next to the trail just long enough for me to take its photo.

Rock Squirrel

I saw a lovely Abert’s Squirrel peeking at me from a branch of a Ponderosa Pine.

Abert's Squirrel

Bosque Bill stopped along the trail to talk to some other birders, and I wandered away, looking at the beautiful, tiny butterflies that seemed to be everywhere in the park.

Spring Azure Butterfly on a Big Golden Pea Plant.

As I wandered away from the trail, Bosque Bill, thinking that I was ahead of him, hurried back to where we had agreed to meet. Not knowing that Bill was ahead of me, I wandered along at a leisurely pace, waiting for him to catch up with me. As I wandered along, I saw a number of birds to photograph.

Male Black-headed Grosbeak

Female Black-headed Grosbeak

Steller's Jay

At one point along the Nature Trail I could see the ruins through the trees across the floor of Frijoles Canyon.

Ancient Pueblo ruins, glimpsed through the trees.

As I walked along, wondering what had happened to Eric and Bill, I saw warblers, swallows, goldfinches and vireos flitting through the trees. I heard woodpeckers pounding on tree bark. It was a lovely, peaceful walk. When I reached our rendez-vous point, Eric and Bill were waiting patiently for me. We ate dessert, which we had not eaten with our lunch. I saw a Canyon Towhee at the edge of the picnic area.

Canyon Towhee

After we finished our dessert we decided to walk around the lower parking lot where Bill had seen the Grace’s Warbler earlier in the day. Although we did not see the warbler, we did see a gorgeous Hepatic Tanager, our best bird of the day.

Hepatic Tanager

Hepatic Tanager, another view.

As we left, we took the opportunity to look down into Frijoles Canyon from the road on the mesa above.

Frijoles Canyon seen from the mesa above the canyon.

Bandelier National Monument is a wonderful place to see both Ancient Pueblo culture and a nice variety of wildlife. Be sure to make time to visit when you come to New Mexico.

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Wordless Wednesday-Wings on Wednesday

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