Oregon Portion of the Northwest Sagebrush Country Trip, Part 1 of 2, May-June 2023

In January 2016 an armed group of protesters seized and occupied the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon.  By the time the occupation was over in February 2016, there was a considerable amount of destruction of the refuge facilities, resulting in closure of the headquarters facilities for months.  Unfortunately, I had planned a summer 2016 birding trip to the sagebrush country of eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and southern Idaho to include a lengthy stop at Malheur NWR.  But given the issues at Malheur I shelved those plans and headed to Alberta and British Columbia that summer instead. 

But my interests in birding eastern OR, eastern WA, and southern ID continued as this was the last large section of the Lower 48 that I had not yet birded.  And a new part of the country for me would equate to considerable statebirding potential.  So after further delays first due to moving, and then due to Covid, I finally got around to scheduling the OR/WA/ID sagebrush country trip for the summer of 2023.  Plus I added a short side- trip to the South Hills of ID for Cassia Crossbill.  I reached out to birding friend David Donsker who often joins me on these trips, and he agreed to come along. 

But simply adding a lot of statebirds wasn’t my only objective for the trip.  Years ago, the ABA allowed you to report your totals for a given state only if your total exceeded half of the total number of species ever recorded in that state.  Early in my birding career I had set a goal to be able to report my totals to the ABA in each of the continental 49 states.  Eventually I exceeded those thresholds in each state except one – OR.  Although those ABA reporting thresholds no longer exist, they still represent a logical set of standards to strive for in each state.  And since the state totals inch up over the years as new birds are added to the official state list, I set a somewhat arbitrary goal of being 15 over those old ABA thresholds (I call it “ABA plus 15”).  I started the 2023 trip with 249 species in OR, just 10 shy of that old ABA reportable threshold.  So this was certainly a realistic secondary objective for this trip.

After considerable research on-line especially on eBird, and with invaluable advice from a number of local birders, I set up an 11-day itinerary from May 24th to June 3rd, starting in Boise and southern ID, then into eastern OR, next into southeastern WA, then back to ID for flights back home.  And with 5 days birding in OR I hoped to add perhaps 28 new birds.

This blog post presents the first of two parts of the OR portion of the trip on Days 2 through 4.  The next post summarizes the second part of the OR portion starting with Day 5.  The subsequent post summarizes the WA portion.  My previous posts briefly summarized the entire trip and the ID portion. 

Day 2 – May 25 – Drive to Burns

After birding the morning in the South Hills in southeastern ID we spent the rest of the day driving west to Burns, OR to be in position to start the next day pre-dawn at Malheur NWR.  And of course we birded along the way.  Although we were driving through some pretty desolate habitat we did pick up my first OR statebird along the way – the first of many Swainson’s Hawks.  My statebird map for this species is inserted below.  Blue-shaded states are those where I’ve seen this western species; the cross-hatched states are those in its regular range where I’ve yet to see it.

Also, when we got close to Burns we started to run into some flooded fields, and spotted a pair of Ring-billed Gulls feeding in one of them.  They turned out to be the only ones for us in OR.

Day 3 – May 26 – Malheur NWR

Our plan was to spend the entire day birding the northern portions of Malheur NWR, starting with nocturnal searches for Poorwill and Short-eared Owl.  Interestingly, there were very few sightings of either species there yet this year.  So for Poorwill I went back to 2022 sightings, and found several reports just north of the Field Station, including a couple with birds sitting in the road.  We made that our first stop, turning onto the road to the Field Station at 4:15 AM.  We drove along slowly but didn’t see any birds on the road.  Then we arrived at the butte just north of the Field Station and got out to listen.  Almost instantly we heard a Poorwill calling from the butte (OR statebird #2).  Nice when a search for a nocturnal bird comes out so well.  I just need this species in 3 more states across its western range.

Our next target was Short-eared Owl.  There were only a few scattered 2022 records for this species in the area, and only 1 so far this year.  The 2023 report seemed like it was in a good habitat, and was nearby, so we drove over to that location and started our vigil for the Owl just as the skies were starting to get light. 

We unfortunately struck out on the Owl, but the grassy fields nearby held a singing Vesper Sparrow (OR statebird #3), which turned out to be our only one of the trip.  That was a pretty good start of the day – 1 of 2 nocturnal targets plus one bonus bird.

It was now closing in on sunrise, so it was time to head to the Headquarters where we planned to bird the oasis hoping for a nice fallout.  Just after getting out of the car we ran into a small flock of Western Kingbirds (OR statebird #4) pestering a Great Horned Owl.  And the cottonwoods held small groups of Western Tanagers and Bullock’s Orioles.  We walked over to the hummingbird feeders and saw several female Black-chinneds making extended visits (OR statebird #5). 

In the distance beyond the hummingbird feeders were these extensive wetlands that would eventually deserve a detailed scoping. 

But with a quick scan I spotted a small flock of Black Terns dancing over the marsh (OR statebird #6), several Blue-winged Teal (OR statebird #7) mixed in with Cinnamon Teal, and a couple fly-by White-faced Ibis (OR statebird #8).  And then I looked up just in time to spot a high-flying Franklin’s Gull (OR statebird #9) – surprisingly the only one we would see at Malheur where it is supposed to be common.  In my statebird map below the brown-shaded eastern states are those where I’ve seen this species as a rarity.

But the marsh would have to wait, because we needed to focus on landbird migrants at the oasis.  And right on cue I turned just in time to watch a flock of a dozen Western Tanagers fly by.  Followed by at least 10 Orioles.  And all of this was within the first 15 minutes. 

David and I then started a slow walk around the Headquarters finding nearly constant activity and picking up quite a number of Yellow-rumps, Wilson’s Warblers, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Warbling Vireos and additional flocks of Orioles and Tanagers.  Numbers were difficult to estimate because so many birds were moving back and forth.  It was turning out to be a nice fallout, and we both thought that we had the “critical mass” to get a rarity (or 2). 

Then we had the moment we predicted – a drab gray warbler appeared in a small tree just 20 ft away.  It was gray above with an eyering and no wingbars, had bright yellow undertail coverts and a dark rump.  We had a rare female Viriginia’s Warbler, with only 17 prior accepted records in the state (OR statebird #10).  Unfortunately, we had it in view for only about 20 seconds before it flew off.  We alerted other nearby birders but it was not re-found that day.  Though there was another report of Virginia’s Warbler there the next day, also a female.  Perhaps the same bird?  I still need this species in several states around the periphery of its regular range.

That was my 10th new OR statebird, bringing my state list to 259 – the old ABA threshold.  Nice to reach the goal, but we had lots of OR birding ahead of us yet.

We spent another couple hours birding the trees in the oasis, picking up good numbers of the same species.  But we also added a few new species like Townsend’s Warbler, Cassin’s Vireo, Western Pewee, Lazuli Bunting, and finally a cooperative Ash-throated Flycatcher (OR statebird #11).  Then there were these Yellow-headed Blackbirds providing nice eye candy at one of the feeders.

Unfortunately news didn’t get out in time to chase after the male Indigo Bunting seen at one point just a few feet away from us. 

After the landbird activity slowed down we went back to get the scope and birded the wetlands.  We had 9 waterfowl species, 4 shorebirds, and more Black Terns along with my first Forster’s Tern (OR statebird #12).  Plus close looks at the swallows feeding overhead gave us 5 species including my first Banks (OR statebird #13).  I just need Bank Swallow in one more state plus D.C. to complete my statebird map for this species.

As we walked back to the car we were alerted by others to this baby Great Horned Owl.

What a morning!  In 4 hours at the Headquarters we tallied 59 species including 10 new ones for my OR statelist.  Not to mention a significant rarity.  We also made a good birding connection while we were there – a young birder named Ezra Cohen who would end up alerting us to a couple other rarities later in the trip.  But the day was young – we had lots of stops ahead of us yet.

Our next target bird was Black-throated Sparrow seen last year, along with another target Sagebrush Sparrow, on the south side of the south butte at the Field Station.  We drove back to the Field Station but couldn’t find any trails leading from the buildings to the butte.  We then drove around to the south side of the butte hoping to find a trail but found the access road to the area was closed.  We decided to pass on this spot, with 3 other possible locations for these targets.  Though I did get my first Sage Thrasher for the state (OR statebird #14).  Hopefully I’m just as successful with this species in WA later in the trip.

The next stop was Saddle Butte which was another potential spot for both Black-throated and Sagebrush Sparrows.  But as we drove south along the west edge of the butte on Route 205 we couldn’t find a place to pull off this busy road.  Maybe we could try it again later heading north and find a safe spot to park.  That is unless we found these species at our next stop at Diamond Craters.  Along the way we came upon an overlook for the Buena Vista Ponds.  Quite a nice view of the wetlands below!

And while we scanned below we heard a Say’s Phoebe singing from the rocks nearby.  That’s not a song I hear very often.  And then we heard a song that we were very familiar with – at least one Yellow-breasted Chat was singing in the brush down below us (OR statebird #15).

After we snaked our way around the Buena Vista Ponds we made our way to Diamond Craters where both Sagebrush and Black-throated Sparrows were reported last year.  This area had some very unique volcanic rock formations, but few birds.

We couldn’t find any noticeable trails through the sagebrush, and in fact the vegetation was pretty meager.

But we had at least one more spot for the sparrows – along Foster Flat Road.  After a short drive we made it to this gravel road running through some very nice sagebrush habitat.  We made several stops playing tape for both sparrow species but with no luck.  Then we finally got a response from a Sagebrush Sparrow and eventually found it perched on a sagebrush (OR statebird #16). 

As we continued down the road playing Black-throated Sparrow tape we came to an area with exposed rocks.  David suggested that we play some Chukar tape as well – he had good instincts.  At our next stop we heard some “chuck” calls behind us and spotted this calling Chukar perched on the rocks (statebird #17). 

That was a great find, but we still needed Black-throated Sparrow.  We doubled back to 205, and headed north toward Saddle Butte.  This time we found a spot that seemed to be wide enough to pull over, and started to walk through the sagebrush looking for our target. 

We were able to find a couple more Sagebrush Sparrows, a Sage Thrasher, and several Lark Sparrows, but no Black-throated.  And there were some nice wildflowers too.

I guess in retrospect we should have tried harder to access the Field Station butte location.

It was now getting pretty late in the day but we had one more stop on the way back to our hotel in Burns.  There were quite a number of Burrowing Owl sightings just north of Malheur so far this year, though specific locations weren’t provided for most sightings.  One key exception was a sighting along Ruh-Red S Rd. with the location listed as - “North side of road.  Just east of telephone pole F129”.  That sounded pretty specific.  And it was – after a short drive along the dirt road we found the correct telephone pole and started our search.  And just a few seconds later David spotted the diminutive owl low in front of a pile of dirt that had been excavated from the hole (OR statebird #18).  A bit later the Owl walked a bit higher up on the pile to let me get this phonescoped photo.

Despite our most successful day at Malheur NWR I still had 2 remaining water-related targets – Trumpeter Swan and Wilson’s Phalarope.  Both species had been seen in the last week at a number of locations around Burns.  Most spots were apparently flooded fields from the spring rains.  So after a quick dinner, we headed out to check 4 nearby spots where 1 or both targets had been seen recently.  But the fields at the first 2 spots were now dry – we were just a couple days too late.  Our third stop was at Foley Rd. and we initially thought that grassy field was dry too, but we realized some water remained when we spotted the heads of 3 tall shorebirds sticking above the grass – Greater Yellowlegs, Willet, and Long-billed Curlew.  Then while scanning the grasses I spotted a Wilson’s Phalarope flutter up out of the vegetation and fly off (OR statebird #19).  How lucky can you get?  If I can also find this species in WA later in the trip I would need it in just a few states in central US in its regular range, though I’ve seen it in a number of eastern states as a rarity.   

Our 4th stop also still had water, but no target birds.  Though we picked up Wigeon, Redhead, and Lesser Yellowlegs for the day. 

And what a day it was – we had 90 species, 19 of which were new for my OR list including a rare Virginia’s Warbler!

Day 4 – May 27 – Malheur NWR

Our plan for this day was to concentrate on the southern portion of Malheur NWR and a few areas just south of the refuge.  Since we still needed Short-eared Owl we would slowly drive the southern end of the Center Patrol Road (CPR) at first light hoping to find a hunting Short-ear.  Then at sunrise we would make our way to the oasis at P Ranch hoping for another nice fallout. 

We started our Owl search at 4:45 AM slowly driving several miles of the CPR but with no luck.  When we neared sunrise we turned around and headed back to P Ranch, having only netted a couple Black-crowned Night-herons.  I had just got done mentioning that the grassland in this area can be good for Bobolinks when we spotted one sitting in the road right in front of us (OR statebird #20).  That was easy.  I still need Bobolink in a couple states at the western edge of its breeding range, along with a few southern states where it is a migrant.

We arrived at P Ranch right on time and crossed our fingers for another fallout.  This was still a functioning ranch with a house and some out-buildings off limits.  But it was OK to bird the tall cottonwoods ringing the complex.  Plus a small river flowed by the ranch which was lined with riparian shrubs and small trees.  It all looked like it would be inviting to a migrant.  Unfortunately, it was slow with mostly nesting passerines and few migrants.  We had small numbers of Bullock’s Orioles and Western Tanagers in the trees, and good numbers of Willow Flycatchers, Yellow Warblers, and Chats in the riparian brush.  Plus a Say’s Phoebe around the buildings was a nice find.  So with birding being pretty slow, after about 90 minutes we decided to head to nearby Page Springs Campground to see if birding was any better there.

Page Springs Campground was touted as another good spot for migrant fallouts.  Plus we hoped for breeding Gray and Dusky Flycatchers along two trails there.  As we pulled into the campground we were greeted not by birds but by mosquitoes – hordes of mosquitoes.  We felt sorry for those camping there.  Birding in the campground was next to impossible, as was one trail that would take us into riparian habitat.  So we tried to head up into the hills above to lessen our blood loss.  But that trail was gated off, so I ended up just bushwacking my way upslope. 

The habitat quickly changed to a juniper forest with scattered undergrowth of sagebrush - nice for my breeding targets.  The first birds I found were several Black-throated Gray Warblers singing from the junipers.  Then as I continued my climb I started to hear a singing Empidonax that I wasn’t familiar with.  I played a bit of tape and soon realized I had a Gray Flycatcher as confirmed by Merlin (OR statebird #21).  I got some pretty nice views of the bird as it sang from the tops of the junipers.

I continued wandering through the forest but couldn’t find any Dusky Flycatchers.  That target would have to wait until the next day when we would be in some more good habitat for this species.

Here’s a picture of the Gray Flycatcher habitat and valley below.

We bid farewell to the campground (and its mosquitoes!) and then headed toward the Steens Mountains in search of Green-tailed Towhee.  But the road to the mountains was still closed apparently due to heavy snow cover.  So I went onto eBird to look for alternative locations and found several recent reports nearby at the Barnes Spring and Trail hotspot near Frenchglen.  And in fact, two recent reports seemed to put the Towhee right at the trailhead for the spring.  We parked the car at the trailhead and focused on a hillside above the lot with sparse sagebrush vegetation that looked like good Towhee habitat.  And sure enough after just a couple minutes we could hear a bird singing up the hill that I wasn’t familiar with.  Merlin suggested it was our target, which I confirmed by playing a bit of tape off the Sibley app (OR statebird #22).  I just need this species in a few states on the periphery of its range, including WA where we hoped to find it in a couple days.

Our next target was White-throated Swift which can be seen nesting on cliffs near Roaring Spring some 14 miles south of Frenchglen.  These cliffs can also be good for Chukars, but we no longer needed that one since we had the cooperative bird the day before.  Just after we arrived at the northern end of the cliffs we spotted a soaring adult Golden Eagle – a nice start.  And a bit later we found this remarkable nest which must be 10 feet tall.  The baby raptor on the nest is likely another Golden Eagle.

Unfortunately, those turned out to be the highlights of this spot since we never found the Swifts despite nearly an hour searching that stretch of the cliffs.  Try as we might, we could never turn any of the many Cliff and Violet-green Swallows flying around the cliffs into a Swift.

We now had an option to drive another 45 minutes south to an Oasis in the town of Fields for possible migrants, or head back north onto the refuge to search for waterbirds.  Given the limited migration we experienced at P Ranch, we decided to head back to the wetlands.  Our last realistic target waterbird was Trumpeter Swan, of which there were several recent reports in the wetlands in the southern half of the refuge, so we were optimistic. 

We soon were back to the CPR and started our drive north.  The southern mile or two passed through grasslands where we found Bobolinks in 3 different fields – we counted 11 singing birds.  We then drove from wetland to wetland looking for large white swimming birds but each time came up empty.  Though we picked up a few nice birds along the way including an American Bittern in flight, Caspian, Forster’s and Black Terns, and Marsh Wrens at several spots. 

Then we came to Benson Pond and found a lot of cars and birders milling about.  “Bird the birders” as I always say, so we got out to find out what was up.  We happened to run into our friend Ezra Cohen from the fallout at the Headquarters the day before and he said there was a singing Least Flycatcher up ahead in the small oasis at the pond’s edge.  It was first found the day before and had stuck around all this time.  We quickly took the short walk to the grove of trees finding an Ash-throated Flycatcher along the way.  Then after a short wait we heard the characteristic monotonous “chebek” calls of the Least Flycatcher.  We even got good views of the bird (OR statebird #23).  OR is now the third state where I’ve seen this species as a rarity.

As we headed back to the car we again noticed some activity among the birders.  They had found a very distant Trumpeter Swan.  The views weren’t the best even through the scope, but good enough (OR statebird #24).  OR was my 21st state for this species which is being re-introduced in much of its former range.

I texted Ezra to thank him for the tip on the Least Flycatcher and he responded by asking if we had seen the Rose-breasted Grosbeaks yet.  That was the first we had heard of them.  They had apparently been seen that morning in Frenchglen and Ezra gave me the coordinates of the tree where he had them.  That was more than 8 hours ago, so it wasn’t likely that the birds would still be there.  But it was only a short ride back to Frenchglen so we decided to give it a try.  I punched in the coordinates and we were off.

The coordinates took us to a small parking lot for a school in the town of Frenchglen.  I got out of the car and looked at the map to get my bearings.  The GPS put us just a few feet south of the Ezra’s tree.  I looked up and pointed to the apparent tree where the Grosbeaks had been seen in the morning and pointed right at a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak (OR statebird #25).  A few seconds later we spotted a second male in the same tree.  Remarkably the birds were still feeding on seeds in that tree (an elm) 8 hours after being first spotted.  And in fact, Ezra had the same bird, or a different bird, in that tree 2 days earlier. 

Later we found 3 Black-headed Grosbeaks feeding in that same tree.  Must be some tasty seeds.

OR was the 3rd state where I’ve seen Rose-breasted Grosbeak as a rarity.  This eastern species is definitely prone to vagrancy especially to western migrant traps.

And as my 25th new statebird for OR, that puts me at my “ABA plus 15” threshold.  Nice when the threshold is a rarity.  An excellent way to celebrate our day.  I may have only added 6 new statebirds that day, but it’s not often you can get 2 rarities (Least Flycatcher and Rose-breasted Grosbeak) in the same day.

 

See my next blog post for the continuation of the OR portion of the trip.

Summary of OR/WA/ID Sagebrush Country Trip, May-June 2023

In January 2016 an armed group of protestors seized and occupied the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon.  By the time the occupation was over in February 2016, there was a considerable amount of destruction of the refuge facilities, resulting in closure of the headquarters facilities for months.  Unfortunately, I had planned a summer 2016 birding trip to the sagebrush country in eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and southern Idaho, to include a lengthy stop at Malheur NWR.  But given the issues at Malheur, I shelved those plans and headed to Alberta and British Columbia that summer instead. 

But my interests in birding eastern OR, eastern WA, and southern ID continued as this was the last large section of the Lower 48 that I had not yet birded.  And a new part of the country for me would equate to considerable statebirding potential.  So after further delays first due to moving, and then due to Covid, I finally got around to scheduling the OR/WA/ID sagebrush country trip for the summer of 2023.  Plus I added a short side-trip to the South Hills of ID for the Cassia Crossbill.  I reached out to birding friend David Donsker who often joins me on these trips, and he agreed to come along. 

But simply adding a lot of statebirds wasn’t my only objective for the trip.  Years ago, the ABA allowed you to report your totals for a given state only if your total exceeded half of the total number of species ever recorded in that state.  Many years ago I had set a goal to be able to report my totals to the ABA in each of the continental 49 states.  Eventually I exceeded those thresholds in each state except one – OR.  Although those ABA reporting thresholds no longer exist, they still represent a logical set of standards to strive for in each state.  And since the state totals inch up over the years as new birds are added to the state list, I set a somewhat arbitrary goal of being 15 over those old ABA thresholds (I call it “ABA plus 15”).  I started the 2023 trip with 249 species in OR, just 10 shy of that old ABA reportable threshold.  So this was certainly a realistic secondary objective for this trip.

After considerable research on-line especially on eBird, and with invaluable advice from a number of local birders, I set up an 11-day itinerary from May 24th to June 3rd, starting in southern ID, then into eastern OR, next into southeastern WA, then back to ID for flights back home from Boise.  With pretty good statelists in ID (224), OR (249), and WA (267), my potential for new statebirds wasn’t too great.  I hoped to add perhaps 8 new birds in ID, 28 in OR, and 12 in WA.  Adding just 48 new statebirds was kind of a low tally for such a long trip, even though this was a new part of the country for me.  But for better or worse, I’m at the point of diminishing returns in my statebirding endeavors.

This blog post presents a brief summary of the entire trip.  My next 3 posts summarize the ID, OR, and WA portions of the trip.

Entire Trip Results, May 24-June 3

David and I were able to find 188 species on the trip as we chased after our targets over numerous, diverse habitats across the region.  A total of 67 of these were new statebirds, well over my target for the trip in each state.  That brings my “Total Ticks” (sum of all my state and province lists) to 15,114.  Here’s a summary of the trip by the numbers –

• 21 waterfowl species (not bad for a semi-arid region)
• 7 gallinaceous species
• 10 raptors
• 5 owls
• 7 woodpeckers
• 10 flycatchers
• 6 wrens
• 15 sparrows, and
• 10 warblers (it was out west after all)

Here is a link to my eBird trip report for the overall trip - ID-OR-WA 2023 Trip - eBird Trip Report

ID Trip Results - May 24-25, June 2-3

We found 112 species in ID, 10 of which were new for my statelist.  That brings my total to 234. Notable was a striking Black-throated Sparrow at Oolite Trail in Owyhee County.  Unfortunately, the sparrow’s dry sagebrush habitat isn’t nearly as attractive as the sparrow.

We also saw at least 4 Prairie Falcons at these canyons at Swan Falls Park in the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area in Ada County.

A final personal highlight was finally seeing a Say’s Phoebe in ID, this one was at Dedication Point in Ada County.  This sighting was notable because David and I had completed many unsuccessful searches for this species the previous year in the ID panhandle.

Oregon Trip Results, May 26-30, June 2

We tallied 166 species in OR including 41 new statebirds.  That brings my new total to 290, well over the old ABA threshold.  We found 3 rarities – Virginia’s Warbler at Malheur NWR, Boreal Owl at Idlewild Campground in Harney County, and Wood Thrush (only the 6th state record) at Philberg Road in Union County.  We were also able to track down 3 other rarities found by others at Malheur NWR – Least Flycatcher and 2 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks.  The Grosbeaks were most cooperative, as they fed in the same tree where they were first discovered 10 hours earlier!

Interesting that both species that allowed me to reach the ABA reportable goal (Virginia’s Warbler) and my ABA reportable plus 15 goal (Rose-breasted Grosbeak) were rarities.  It’s nice when it happens that way.

Finally, finding a Black-backed Woodpecker nest in a recent burn next to the Idlewild Campground was very exciting.  Here’s the female just before it replaced the male on the nest likely incubating eggs.

Washington Trip Results, May 30-June 2

We found 112 species in WA, 16 of which were new for my statelist, increasing my total to 283.  Notable were a Gray Partridge in Walla Walla and an out-of-place Chukar in sagebrush in Benton County, nicely illuminated at dawn in this picture.

A final highlight was several Green-tailed Towhees singing from isolated patches of thick brush on slopes below Biscuit Ridge in Walla Walla County – just about the only spot to find them in all of WA.  One was singing from the brush in the middle of this picture.  And the scenery was nice as well!

Spectacular New Mexico Migrant Fallout, May 2013

I had about a half day of free time as part of a business trip to Midland, TX, and started to wonder if that would be enough time to get into New Mexico and work on that state list.  The stateline is only 90 minutes from Midland, so if I stayed in the southeast corner of NM I should have enough time to try for at least few new statebirds.  But now the question was whether there would be any worthwhile places to bird just across the stateline.  Lea County is the southeastern-most county in NM, and the NM birdfinding guide did suggest some locations in that county.  But they seemed to be a bit marginal.  I reached out to some local birding contacts, and although they offered a couple sites to try, they stressed that birding Lea County can be bleak.  I put together a very modest list of just 4 possible new statebirds that were regular in the area - Scaled Quail, Scissor-tailed Fly, Bronzed Cowbird, and Common Grackle, with only the Scissor-tail being likely.  Plus there was the possibility to get lucky with some passerine and shorebird migrants coming through.  Though again the problem would be finding suitable habitat in this very arid location.  I planned my stops to especially focus on possible migrant traps, hoping to get lucky both with the migrants and the local nesters I needed.  As I completed my planning I felt like I would be very happy with 5 new birds for my NM list.

By getting a slightly earlier flight than originally planned I was able to arrive in NM just an hour before sunset before my planned morning of birding.  So I decided to go to the closest migrant trap – a cemetery outside of Eunice – to try to get a little headstart on the birding adventure.  The birdfinding guide suggested that this area could be good for Scissor-tails and Bronzed Cowbirds, and surrounded by Quail habitat, so it seemed like a good place to start.  It was actually a very nice spot, with many deciduous trees and conifers, and several acres in size.  But there were very few migrants there (3 Audubon’s Warblers), though the cemetery was full of bird song – principally House Finches and Western Kingbirds.  Plus a couple Blue Grosbeaks, and a family of Curve-billed Thrashers were nice.  But the highlight was a sapsucker that got away – one flew in from the desert directly over my head and disappeared in the trees.  Despite a lot of searching, I could not refind it.  The field guide maps suggest a Red-naped could winter in southeast NM, but this was too late for a wintering sapsucker I would think.  And a Yellow-bellied could possibly be that far west as a migrant.  Either species would be a good bird for southeast NM in May.  But it will just go down as a Sapsucker, sp.  So no new statebirds and very few migrants on an evening stop even though I was in good habitat.  Plus on my ride west from Midland I hadn’t seen any Scissor-tailed Flycatchers at all – the only likely bird on my target list.  Now I was starting to rethink my trip.  Although I could get lucky and get at least a few new birds, a strikeout on the first stop had me wondering.  With no real guaranteed birds, I could actually finish this short trip with no new birds at all.

The plan for the next day was to start at dawn at a potential migrant trap which was a small roadside rest stop in Maljamar.  Then I would work my way back toward Midland for my afternoon meetings.  The rest stop is a small park-like site, about an acre and a half in size, but full of well-watered trees, and surrounded by desert.  I arrived at Maljamar about 30 minutes before dawn and was overwhelmed by the raucous calls of Western Kingbirds.  Although at first I thought they were just nesters, I soon realized that there were way too many for such a small park.  The next thing I noticed in the dim early light was a large wading bird that made several attempts to land in the trees – it turned out to be a Black-crowned Night-Heron.  What was that bird doing in the middle of the desert?  Maybe I was in for a good morning fallout!  As the light improved, I noticed a couple thrushes on the ground.  In the dim light I identified a couple Hermit Thrushes, and the first of an estimated 5 Swainson’s Thrushes (#1 new statebird for NM). 

Soon after the 6 AM sunrise I started hearing warbler chips from the trees – small waves of 3-5 birds seemed to be working their way northward through the rest stop, and then flying out to the desert.  Most would stop in native brush just outside the rest stop, or fly back in to the trees.  So I situated myself on the north side of the rest stop and tried for glimpses of the migrants as they passed by.  The first thing I noticed was 3’ tall bush with 3 male Western Tanagers – nice!  Then a few Wilson’s Warblers and the first of many Yellow Warblers (#2).  NM was my last state for Yellow Warbler – my 13th bird in all the mainland US states and DC.

A couple minutes later I found a bush “adorned” with Audubon’s Warblers and a Cassin’s Vireo (#3).  A bit later I noticed a number of birds perched in a small bush – I counted 3 orioles, a couple Audubon’s, and then a gorgeous male Rose-Breasted Grosbeak (#4).  A minute later a male Indigo Bunting landed out in the desert – not a new statebird but spectacular plumage.  I then turned back to the rest stop and saw some movement in a pine tree.  Although several got away before I could ID them, one was more cooperative and turned out to be a male Northern Parula (#5).  Wow!  It wasn’t even 6:30 yet and I had already found 2 pretty rare birds for NM.  NM is now my 2^nd state seeing Parula as a rarity away from the east.

The next hour or so featured even more migrants.  I would watch them fly in from the desert, land in the trees for a short time, and then they would fly back out into the desert.  The most common (and most vocal) birds were Bullock’s Orioles and Western Kingbirds, and the most common warbler being Audubon’s.  I also had a calling Scrub Jay at one point, which is apparently another rarity for the area.  The next three new statebirds weren’t nearly as rare.  #6 was a lone Common Grackle that I first heard call from the trees, and then saw it fly out to the desert.  #7 was the first of several MacGillivray’s Warblers – interesting that there were none of these earlier on.  And #8 was the first of two Warbling Vireos.  My statebird map for Warbling Vireo pretty closely matches the range maps for this species – I’ve seen it in only a few southeast states though most all the other states.

Later I found a Rose-breasted Grosbeak sitting in the same spot in the same bush as earlier.  But this one was a different bird - a young male and not quite in full alternate plumage – ho hum, just another Rose-breast.  A few minutes later I found both grosbeaks sitting next to each other in a deciduous tree. 

The next two statebirds were quite a bit more exciting.  At 7:30 I noticed some movement in some thick pines when I caught a glimpse of the side of a small bird with a yellowish wash.  My first thought was it was going to be another Cassin’s Vireo.  But then I saw it’s head – it was a White-eyed Vireo! (#9)  Likely the rarest of all the rarities I would find that day.  It was most cooperative, offering long views as it foraged 15 ft up in the pine.  Don’t think I’ve ever seen a White-eye that high off the ground.  I would end up seeing it 15 minutes later in just about the same spot.  The next new statebird never even made it to the rest stop – a calling Catbird a short distance out in the desert (#10). 

It was now 8:30 and I was way behind schedule with lots of other stops on my itinerary.  But each time I tried to leave I would see a new bird that I hadn’t found earlier.  I even had my car keys in hand when I found a group of 3 buntings – 2 Indigos and a Lazuli (#11).  I actually even got in my car and began to pull out when I decided I shouldn’t leave quite yet.  Good thing too – just afterwards a pair of Bronzed Cowbirds flew in for a drink (#12).  I’ve now seen Bronzed Cowbird throughout the southwest and a few Gulf Coast states.

In 2 hours in this 1-acre oasis I had 49 species including several rarities.  My tallies are conservative since it was hard to say how many birds flew out to the desert and returned.  And many warblers escaped without ID.  But here are my best guesses on numbers –

·         Western Kingbird – 50 (plus 1 Cassin’s Kingbird)

·         Bullock’s Oriole – 50

·         4 Vireo species – 2 Plumbeous, 2 Warbling, 1 Cassin’s, 1 White-eyed

·         7 Warbler Species - 60 Yellow-rumps (including 1 Myrtle), 20 Yellows, 8 Wilson’s, 5 Orange-crowns, 5 MacGillivrays, 1 Yellowthroat, 1 Parula

·         3 Flycatchers – 3 Ash-throated, 3 Western Pewees, 1 Say’s Phoebe

Then there were the odds and ends like small flocks of Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Great-tailed Grackles, Siskins, American Goldfinches, Chipping Sparrows, etc.

Next stop was at a nearby oasis called Conoco Pond – this appeared to be a natural artesian pond with tules and surrounded by some deciduous trees.  With a quick walk into the pond I heard another Catbird calling from the brush and a handful of migrants in the trees.  The first warbler I spotted was a Nashville (#13) – I saw 2 others later.  The trees had a number of Yellow-rumps, Wilson’s, and Orange-crowns, along with Western Tanagers and Orioles here and there.  I bet this spot was hopping at dawn as well.  One area had a number of White-crowned Sparrows foraging on the ground, which were joined by a single Clay-colored Sparrow (#14).  As I was turning the car around to leave I noticed a bird in the trees a short distance ahead with a lemon-yellow wash below.  Thinking it was just another tanager I looked at it in the binocs through the windshield and realized it was warbler/vireo sized.  So I hopped and got great views of a Philadelphia Vireo (#15)!  Another rarity.  What a day.  My Philly Vireo map is really spotty – it’s not an easy bird in most of the east let alone as a rarity in the west.

Next stop was off to Chaparral Park in Lovington.  This is a large town park with a number of widely spaced trees and a lake.  I was way behind on my schedule so wasn’t planning to spend too much time there, and was pretty much thinking I had found all the migrant passerine species I was likely to get for the day.  So I headed to the lake to try for shorebirds.  I scanned the water’s edge and only found a few Spotted Sandpipers.  But then I noticed a smaller darker bird at the waterline – bobbing up and down – it was a Northern Waterthrush (#16), giving me great views to make sure it wasn’t a Louisiana.  After high fiving myself over finding yet another rarity, I realized there were a number of warblers in the trees overhead – mostly Audubon’s, Yellows, Wilson’s and Orange-crowns.  I was about to leave the lake when I saw some movement ahead in a reasonably bare tree – and without binoculars I realized it was a Black-and-White Warbler (#17).  A beautiful male that was searching for food on the bark of the branches.  NM is now my 3^rd western state for this eastern species.

Now I was really leaving the lake and flushed 2 small peeps which returned to land virtually at my feet – 2 Semipalmated Sandpipers (#18).  They were later joined by a Western and a couple Leasts for good comparisons.

The next stop was to be the Lovington sewage treatment plant adjacent to the park.  But the gate was closed – too bad since that is supposed to be the best shorebird habitat in the county.  While I was standing at the gate wondering if there was some other access point, 2 Black-necked Stilts flew out of the plant.  Oh well, next time. 

I decided to skip the Eunice cemetery which was to be the next stop since I was there the day before without much luck, and Stephen’s Park in Eunice.  Instead I headed to the southeast corner of the state and the town of Jal, which is to be the best area for Scissor-tailed Flycatchers.  Sure enough a few miles north of Jal I saw a couple along the wires (#19).  I’ve now seen NM in each of the states in its regular breeding range, along with FL as a wintering bird, TN and KY as an expanding breeder, and MD and MA as a regular eastern vagrant.

The last stop was the Jal town park, which like Chaparral Park has a few trees and a good-sized lake.  The first place I headed to was the lake again to look for shorebirds.  En route I walked past the obligatory flock of domestic ducks and geese, but stopped in my tracks when I noticed a wild Snow Goose in the flock.  And it was next to a wild White-fronted Goose (#20).  I was able to get this photo holding my iPhone up to my binoculars.  Quite a number of times now I've found late lingering migrant geese in with domestic ducks/geese in town parks.  Also at the park was one lone Least Tern.  Although not a new statebird for me, a good one for NM. 

In my roughly 5 hours of birding I saw 88 species, 20 of which were new for my NM statelist.  And of course many of them were rarities for this location.  What a day!  And now with 252 on my NM list, I’m just 12 shy of the recent ABA reporting threshold for the state.