Birds of the Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park, New Mexico USA

The water will be released tonight

March 31, 2017

Tomorrow morning the Rio Grande New Mexico USA should look like this. The Elephant Butte lake and reservoir will open its gates, and the river flows south filling its banks and the whole valley will rejoice.    

Here are some of the Bird species seen 2016



In determined pursuit

An individual American Crow makes aerial contact with the Short-eared Owl





Black-chinned Hummingbird




Species seen personally at the MVBSP click link

Great Blue Heron
Green Heron
Great Egret

Black-crowned Night Heron

White faced Ibis can be seen be in large numbers (v formations of up to 200 individuals)

Mexican Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Turkey Vulture
Northern Harrier
White-tailed Kite
Coopers Hawk
Gray Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk

Swainson’s Hawk
American Kestrel

Sora

Sandhill Crane

Killdeer
American Avocet
Long billed Curlew in Alfalfa irrigation field north of the access road
Western Sandpiper
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
Eurasian Collared Dove Inca Dove
Greater Roadrunner
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Western Kingbird
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Cave Swallow
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
Eastern Phoebe
Say’s Phoebe
Ring-billed Gull
White-faced Ibis
Western Kingbird
Northern Parula



Northern Parula a rare visitor from eastern North America

4/14/2016



Hooded Oriole
Crissal Thrasher
American Pipit
Pyrrhuloxia
Great Egret
Black-crowned Heron
Great Blue Heron
Solitary Sandpiper 5/4
Spotted Sandpiper 5/4
Long-billed Dowitcher 5/4
American Avocet 5/4
Mallard
Turkey Vulture
Coopers Hawk
Gray Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Swainson’s Hawk
American Kestrel
Gambel’s Quail 


Female Black-headed Grosbeak

Killdeer with on young
American Avocet
White-winged Dove 


Black-headed Grosbeak

Mourning Dove
Eurasian Collared Dove 


Inca Dove

Greater Roadrunner
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Say’s Phoebe
Western Kingbird
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Verdin 
American Robin



Red-winged Blackbird




Blue Grosbeak



Lucy's Warbler May 22

Northern Mockingbird
Crissal Thrasher
Orange-Crowned Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Wilsons Warbler
Lucy's Warbler
Summer Tanager
Orchard Oriole
Black-headed Grosbeak
Western Meadowlark
Red-winged Blackbird
Blue Grosbeak
Ferruginous Hawk
American Coot
Sora Bank Swallow
Common Yellowthroat
Rufous Hummingbird
Calliope Hummingbird
Spotted Towhee
Lark Sparrow
A small wetland along the Rio Grande. Here passage migrant shorebirds refuel.

above: Gray Hawk  ©Patti Rice

This year the Rio Grande has been full since April and 2016 has been a superior year for birds, with all kinds of unusual sighting.
The return of the Gray Hawk to the State Park was quite a sensation this year. The first appearance in April seen on many occasions, then assumed to of moved on after 10 days, only to reappear after three weeks on the May 5. All indications are that there was a breeding attempt just outside of the Park, but this is only a possible. Breeding code H


Western Sandpiper


Solitary Sandpiper


American Avocet


Long-billed Dowitchers