Date: 8/26/26 12:22 pm From: Betsy Checchia (via aznmbirds Mailing List) <aznmbirds...> Subject: [AZNMbirds] Tingley Beach, Albuquerque, This Morning
An interesting morning at Tingley Beach, especially on the bosque trails.
42 species total, including an unbelievable number of Black-chinned
Hummingbirds. At one point I was watching 10 birds catching gnats right
above my head. I estimate I saw 18 Black-chinned (maybe a low count), 2
Rufous and 2 Broad-tailed. Bird of the day was a toss-up between a
Woodhouse's Scrub Jay shadowing a Cooper's Hawk (the first Scrub Jay I've
seen here), and a Mississippi Kite (also the first one I've seen here).
Very low numbers of waterfowl, but many Blue Grosbeaks and a flock of Cedar
Waxwings. Link to eBird checklist is here:
https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/Dh6QCQArYlfJyrz23Hxf9DhGGLoi?<domain...>
I also wanted to recommend a great place to bird in the Sierra Blanca Mts.
above Ruidoso, NM, if you're down that way. I went down last week to look
for the continuing South Polar Skua at Grindstone Lake (found it within 5
minutes of arriving there), then drove up the road to Ski Apache. The Oak
Grove Campground is at about the 4.5 mile marker. It's an undeveloped
campground (no electricity or water) at 8000 feet, but great pine-oak
habitat. The 2024 wildfire burned right up to the edge of the campground,
and a mass of thistle, sunflower and other wildflowers have taken over the
burned area. It was hummingbird heaven -- lots of Black-chinned and
Broad-tailed, plus Rufous and at least 2 Calliope. It's an easy walk
through the campground, and I had a total of 39 species in an hour of
birding. Link to eBird checklist is here:
https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/BQ3QCR8vZmtyzB7MRsNh6kh1cWJH?<domain...>
