Day 6 of the DVOC Field Trip to New Mexico – Today we got off to a slow start as breakfast was not until 7:00. Afterwards we walked the scrub behind the Best Western for about 90 minutes. We were able to clean-up on some birds from earlier in the trip – Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Crissal Thrasher and Black-throated Sparrow. We were also able to add Curve-billed Thrasher, our first Verdin and Pyrrhuloxia of the trip. We then loaded up the vans, picked up lunch at the IGA and headed down to Percha Dam State Park and Caballo Lake State Park. Percha is some of the best riparian birding in the state and a noted migrant trap.

As we drove into Percha Dam area, we had several Kestrels, Say’s Phoebes and a few Gambel’s Quail. We started to walk around the campground and had some Spotted Sandpipers, several Verdin, Phainopepla and a Belted Kingfisher. We then walked along the streambed where we added a flock of 25 Cedar Waxwings and a Black Phoebe. Our first pass of the dried marshy area resulted in a quick look at a Lincoln’s Sparrow, Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Red-naped Sapsucker, Chipping Sparrows and Western Bluebirds. It was now time for lunch as we had just about settled down at several different picnic tables to eat when Bill saw a Prairie Falcon coming right towards us.

The falcon had something in its talons (probably a Killdeer from the flock that had been feeding in one of the farm fields) and was coming at us fast. Most of us jumped up from lunch and got on this bird. In quick succession, following the falcon was a Ferruginous Hawk and two Red-tailed Hawks. We then retraced our steps along the marshy area in hopes of sparrows and with some effort picked up Swamp Sparrow. We also had several Phainopepla and Pyrrhuloxia along with the ubiquitous White-crowned Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos. It was the first seasonable day weather-wise, which meant it was rather warm. This brought out a few butterflies including Checkered White, Orange Sulphur, Clouded Sulphur and Red Admiral.

We then started to work Caballo Lake and viewed the lake from three different vantage points. We picked up much of the same waterfowl we had seen earlier at Bosque and Elephant Butte – White Pelicans; Eared, Western and Clark’s Grebes; and many of ducks we had seen closer earlier in the trip. At one of the stops, we picked up Least Sandpipers and at the final one, we added Bonaparte’s Gull. Thanks to the drought and water drain-off, Caballo Lake was also very low and that meant that viewing of waterfowl was not of nearby birds. Still the scenery was spectacular. We headed back up the last dirt road a bit before five.