Ontario Birder Has Questions re March visit

Posted by Rosyfinch on
URL: http://sandia-crest-birding-forum.18.s1.nabble.com/Ontario-Birder-Has-Questions-re-March-visit-tp4242512.html

Hi Ken,
 
I was hoping to ask you some questions ?
I am on holiday this coming  March.  I am planning to visit the Sandia Crest House  March  12- 16   2010.
I want to watch the Black  Rosy Finch at close range from the feeders. From your experience,
do you think I would be guaranteed to see an adult  Black  Rosy Finch during this time frame.
 
Is the Sandia Crest House  the absolute best location to view these birds at close range?...
 
What about finding these other birds at this spot from March  12- 16   2010 ?
 
Gray-crowned Rosy finch ( Hepburns race)
Pink-sided Junco
White-winged Junco
Spotted owl
Northern Pygmy owl
 
Last question, do you do any guiding?
 
Dave M
Orono, Ontario, Canada

Hi, Dave--

All three rosy-finch species usually persist in good numbers into mid-March. Some years, they drop off quite precipitously by the third week, while in other years they have been seen into early April. Bottom line is that one cannot be 100% sure.

My best advice is to look at the individual sightings logs for the past several years. They are available at the links on this page

Right now the Crest House is the only location in Central New Mexico that is reporting rosy-finches. They are also present in good numbers at the Kandahar Condominium in Taos Ski Valley. One year there were flocks at a feeder in Madrid, New Mexico, on NM-14 only about 20 miles north of Sandia Crest. Monitor the New Mexico RBA and subscribe to this Forum to see if there are any other local reports.

Many, if not most, of the Rosies will have been banded by March, so you may find it difficult to photograph one with "pristine" legs.

As for your target birds, the mix of Hepburn's race among the Gray-crowns varies from rare to numerous each year. This year only one or two have been seen most days. Most of the Juncos will be Gray-headed, and Pink-sided may appear, but they are very common in the foothills or at the Rio Grande Nature Center feeders in Albuquerque. I only saw two White-winged Juncos (at 7000 feet) during the eleven years I lived in Cedar Crest, at the base of the road to the Crest. I do not think there have been any reports of the Pygmy-Owl, but if you look for them along the road up (and especially as you descend, as the background light seems better), and near the parking lot at the base of the ski area, you may be rewarded. They sometimes sit on telephone lines along NM-14-- they are so small that they may easily be overlooked. I am not aware of any nearby Spotted Owl sightings.

I have no connection with the Crest House except for working with their management to install the feeders in 1999 and enjoying their cooperation with the Forest Service and the birding community ever since. I now live in Florida and Illinois, but consider myself a "virtual New Mexican," continuing to maintain the records and provide information via rosyfinch.com. I try to get out to the Crest every year at least once during rosy-finch season.

The Central New Mexico Audubon Society has a newsletter that includes information about organized trips on weekends and almost every Thursday. If any readers of the Forum wish to suggest someone who might be able to guide you, they may post to the Forum or contact me directly so that I can get them in touch with you,

Please contact me or post to the Forum if you have additional questions.

Good luck!