Rare visitors spice up winter birdwatching
While most seasons bring a smattering of rare birds to the area, this past winter featured a fair number of interesting rarities, most of which lingered long enough to delight scores of birdwatchers. The majority were Mexican species that strayed northward, with others more commonly seen in Arizona and two from the Pacific Northwest.
Rarest of this bunch by far has been the Nutting’s flycatcher, a species from western Mexico and first state record for New Mexico, that appeared at a park below Elephant Butte Dam in December and was still being seen this past week. In the weeks since an observant birder first spotted it and got the word out to others, many photos and audio recordings have been exchanged, birding’s elite have confirmed the bird’s identity, and countless others have enjoyed adding this bird to their life lists.
Not a dazzler, to be sure, Nutting’s flycatcher is rather unremarkable in appearance, its muted colors making it look similar to a few other flycatcher species that might occur here but with only minor distinctions. But another rare bird that graced the same little park (Paseo Del Rio/Fish Hatchery Recreation Area) was a veritable showstopper: a vividly colorful rufous-backed robin. For several weeks this beautiful stray from Mexico was quite a bit easier to find as it fed in canyon hackberry trees. (More than once the flycatcher was seen grabbing a hackberry or two as well.)
Closer to home was a group of three ruddy ground doves, Mexican cousins of our more commonly seen Inca doves that have spent much of the winter in a neighborhood in Mesilla. Often huddled together with some Inca doves, these shorter-tailed cherubs have been relatively easy to see in patches of prickly pear or cypress trees. How long they – or the flycatcher or any other of the lingering rarities – will remain is anyone’s guess.
Always enjoyable to visit, Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge has hosted several rare birds this winter, with two of the most beautiful species being the pair of white-tailed kites and a trumpeter swan, both still continuing to delight birdwatchers. Another of the kites is occasionally seen locally at or near Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park. These elegant raptors are partial to desert grasslands and could have strayed from the west, south, or east, while the enchanting trumpeter swan is a rare winter stray from well north of us.
Also hailing from the north, and the Pacific Northwest in particular, has been the varied thrush wintering along the Rio Grande across from Ralph Edwards Park in Truth or Consequences. This colorful robin cousin may take some determination, patience, and luck to see, but even a short glimpse is worth the effort. Following eBird reports about the bird’s habits will increase your odds of seeing it – as is definitely true for any of these other lingering rarities.
Rounding out our remarkable season thus far are some wintering hummingbirds around the area, including several broad-billed hummingbirds (one in Las Cruces and three in El Paso) and at least two Anna’s hummingbirds as well. The broad-billed hummers will likely depart for breeding grounds in Arizona or Mexico in the next month or so, whereas it’s possible that the Anna’s hummers, which are gradually expanding their range eastward from California and Arizona, may stay to breed. Such mysteries nicely capture the intriguing serendipity of birdwatching!
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Rare visitors spice up winter birdwatching
