Birding and Birdwatching           

Cochiti Lake, NM, Dec. 13 - Trip report

Cochiti Lake is the only large body of water in central New Mexico; it can be reached by going north from Albuquerque on I-25 for about 40 miles to the Cochiti Dam exit, then a few miles west.  My neighbor Phil and I worked this site on Dec. 13.

Rarities we saw:   Red-breasted Merganser - my state bird; there were two scruffy late-eclipse males at the edge of the 300+ Common Mergansers. When scanning, they appear smaller and dirtier; in the scope, the slimmer bill and streaked rusty chest patch were diagnostic. Greater Scaup - added to the state checklist only a few years ago, these birds are rare migrants across New Mexico.  One male and one female were just above the dam, identifiable by their flat-headed appearance in profile. Northern Shrike - irregular in the state, one was working the picnic tables near the dam headquarters on the west side. A young bird with brown cap and brownish wash on the back and sides, unmistakable at close range with its long bill.

Rarities we missed:   Black-legged Kittiwake - seen on the 11th; an immature with the     "W" mark on the back in flight.   ?Thayer's Gull - possible immature seen an hour after we left.  Or     maybe I should call it "Iceland (Thayer's) Gull", eh, Mr. Snell?

Other birds we saw:
  Canada Goose            Ruddy Duck
  Mallard                 Northern Harrier
  N. Pintail              Golden Eagle (2a, 1i)
  Gadwall                 Bald Eagle (1a)
  American Wigeon         American Coot
  N. Shoveler             Ring-billed Gull
  Green-winged Teal       Red-shafted Flicker
  Common Goldeneye (2m)   Common Raven
  Bufflehead              Western Bluebird
  Common Merganser

John Shipman

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