Delia & Ed’s Big-Year off to a Roaring Start

09 Jan Delia & Ed’s Big-Year off to a Roaring Start

Posted Jan.9, 2012 from Seattle

Delia’s and my BigYear is off to a great start—We passed 100 species for the country in the quickest time ever for us.  On New Year’s Day we left Di Ann’s Mountain Valley Resort in Rodeo (We stayed there so we wouldn’t have to go back up the Canyon after the Portal Count) and drove to Animus, New Mexico and drove/walked into my parents-in-law’s land from the eastern slope of the Peloncillos for the Peloncillo Christmas Count.  We got Sandhill Crane and Ferruginous Hawk on the way over.  On the Count we picked up our most-cherished-target-bird, the Montezuma Quail.  Normally we see Montezuma when we almost step on them and they flush with explosive energy.  This time we spotted them in the open crossing bare rock.   As usual with these fancy-plumaged birds:  Sorry no Pics.

We also lucked onto a new bird ever for the Peloncillo Count, the Canvasback Duck, which was on a cattle pond on Animas Rancher Clint Dunagin’s land.  I always knew Canvasbacks were beautiful, but maybe it was something in the winter desert sun that made me ask myself, “Is this America’s most gorgeous bird?”    This less-than-mediocre photo I snapped for documentation doesn’t inspire that same question, so I’ll chalk it up to one of those magical moments that you can only get by going out in the field.

In Seattle, it took us two days to pick up American Robin, the bird in the cover shot for this blog-post is from Discovery Park where we also found a flock of Evening Grosbeaks.

Here’s our list so far:

Here’s a distant shot of a Mountain Bluebird wintering in the Peloncillos.  Two Cedar Waxwings were hanging with the Mountains.

This big male Coatimundi doesn’t count, but we also keep a Mammal list and it’s at something like 8.  Delia surprised a Desert Cottontail at one point and a Gray Fox took right off after it.  I asked Delia if it seemed like the rabbit would become dinner.  “No,” she said, “the Fox didn’t seem to have it’s heart in the chase.”  Indeed, there was Gray Fox scat everywhere and it was full of nothing but juniper berries. 

It’s a big Snowy-Owl invasion year so we have to make sure to see those before the next at-least 3 year Snowy-Owl drought begins.  The bird above, a presumed female in Nisqually, is from 2011.  What have you done for me lately?

And did I mention this?  Our final species totals for the State and Country will be miniscule compared to the serious birders who really are doing Big Years.