NEW MEXICO 
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Mississippi Kite has oniy recently been found north to Sarrta 
Fe County, New Mexico. This juvenile was at Galisteo 9 Sep- 
tember 2008. Photograph by Jonathan P. Batkin. 
Santo Domingo 23 Oct (LS). Earliest Rough- 
legged Hawks were singles n. of Melrose 24 
Oct (JEP, ph. JO) and near Tinaja, Colfax 29 
Oct (CR). A near-record 47 Merlins passed 
Capilla Peak 13 Sep-2 Nov (HWl), and the 
species was widely reported elsewhere, in- 
cluding from nearly half of New Mexico’s 
counties. An ad. Aplomado Falcon in s. Luna 
1 (ph. DG) & 30 Oct (R. A. Meyer) was be- 
lieved to be a naturally occurring individual. 
A disappointing 42 Peregrine Falcons were 
tallied at Capilla Peak 9 Sep-24 Oct (HWI), 
continuing a significant multi-year declining 
trend there. 
PLOVERS THROUGH MEGERS 
Four Black-bellied Plovers at Wagon Mound 
20-21 Sep (ph. NH, MH, CR) was a high count 
for Mora; w. was one at Lordsburg Playa 12-17 
Oct (DH) and late was one at B.L.N.W.R. 19 
Nov (JIS). Lingering Semipalmated Plovers 
were 3 at Simmer L. 25 Oct QEP) one at 
E.B.L. 7 Nov (ph. DC). Noteworthy for Hard- 
ing was a Solitary Sandpiper at Chicosa L. 28 
Aug (SW); very late was one near Las Cruces 
19 Nov (MS, JZ). High counts for Upland 
Sandpipers were 46 in freshly cut alfalfa at 
Fort Sumner 27 Aug (MH) and 14 in Lea 23 
Aug (CR, BN); others included one at 
B.L.N.W.R. 8 Aug QIS), 3 near Otis 15 Aug 
QEP), and several heard over Otero Mesa in 
pre-dawn twilight 24 Aug (DG). Single Whim- 
brels were at B.L.N.W.R. 12 Sep QEP, NP, ph. 
MB) and Brantley L. 14 Aug (RD). Two flocks 
totaling 780 Long-billed Curlews were in 
mowed hayfields in Lea 23 Aug (CR, BN); 52 
were in the Uvas Valley w. of Hatch 2 Nov 
(MS, JZ). Late Sanderlings were one at 
B.L.N.W.R. 5 Nov OIS) and 3 at Caballo L. 15 
Nov (MH); high counts included 5 at Maxwell 
7 Sep (C. M. Brozek) and 7 at Sumner L. 20 
Sep QPB), while far w. was one at Lordsburg 
Playa 12 Oct (DH). Noteworthy w. of the 
plains, single Semipalmated Sandpipers were 
detailed at Cochiti L. 7 Aug (MH), Alameda 
29 Aug (ph. WH, DK, MH, CR), and Sunland 
Park 20 Sep (ph. JNP). Late was a Pectoral 
Sandpiper near Belen 8 Nov (M. R. Gracey). 
Very early was a Dunlin at Alameda 10 Aug 
(BV); 2 reached Caballo L. 17 Oct (DC), and 
up to 7 were there 20-24 Nov (ph. DC). A 
good season for Stilt Sandpiper included highs 
of 20 at Wagon Mound 2 Sep (V/Wi), 21 at 
Maxwell 21 Sep (MH, CR), and about 150 at 
B.L.N.W.R. 26 Sep 0EP)i noteworthy farther 
w. were singles at Alameda 24 Aug QEP) and 
E.B.L. 16 Aug (DC), 7 at Belen 14 Sep (DH), 
and up to 3 in the Uvas Valley 16-23 Aug 
(WH, MS, ph. JZ). Short-billed Dowitchers 
with useful details were single juvs. at 
Springer L. 14 Sep QPB) and Clovis 29 Aug 
QEP, vt. JO) and 2 juvs. at Belen 1 Sep (ph. 
MB, NP, ph. CW, MH); a vocal ad. was at 
E.B.L. 16 Aug (DC). A Red Phalarope was at 
E.B.L. 16 Oct (ph. DC). 
Single Laughing Gulls were at 
Clovis 29 Aug (JEP, JO) and Stub- 
blefield L. 31 Aug (CR). Lingering 
Franklin’s Gulls were singles at Ca- 
ballo L. 14 Nov (DC) and Sunland 
Park 15 Nov (JNP). Providing a 
New Mexico first was an ad. Black- 
tailed Gull at Brantley L. 16-18 Aug 
(SW, ph. JO, ph. MB, ph. CW, ph. 
JZ, ph. JPB, m.ob.). Sabine’s Gulls, 
all juvs., had another impressive 
season, with the first at Santa Fe 7 
Sep OPB) and a late one w. to the 
Uvas Valley 20 Oct (DK), plus up to 
5 at Maxwell 13-14 Sep (ph. JSS, ph. 
JPB), 2 each at Springer L. 14 Sep 
OPB), Stubblefield L. 20 Sep (ph. 
NH), Wagon Mound 21 Sep (MH, 
CR), and Santa Rosa L. 26 Sep 
(JEP), one to 2 at Sumner L. 20 
Sep-10 Oct (m.ob.), and one at Hol- 
loman L. 28 Sep (SW). A Caspian 
Tern was at Cochiti L. 12 Oct (MB, 
NP, MH, JEP). Black Terns in the w. 
were 14 at Morgan L. 6 Aug (VAVi) 
and one at Lordsburg 10 Aug QO); high 
counts included 104 at E.B.L. 23 Aug (DC) 
and 136 at Brantley L. 14 Aug (RD). One to 5 
Common Terns were at Conchas L. (ph. 
WH), Ute L. (NP, MB), Sumner L. OEP, MH, 
JPB), E.B.L. (DC, ph. NH), and Caballo L. 
(LM) 13 Sep-5 Oct; earliest were 2 at Brant- 
ley L. 23 Aug (BN). An intermediate-morph 
juv. Long-tailed Jaeger at Sumner L. 13-28 j' 
Sep (JEP, m.ob., ph. CW, vt. JO) provided the r 
13th record — 8th verified — for New Mexico. 
PIGEONS THROUGH 
WOODPECIERS 
Notably late Band-tailed Pigeons were 15 at 
Capulin Spring, Sandia Mts. 2 Nov (RD), one 
near Riverside, Grant 21 Nov (EL, JLB), and 
one to 3 in the Magdalena Mts. 28 Nov 0EP et 
al). Common Ground-Doves continued in ev- 
idence, including 3 at R.S. 1 Aug QEP) and one 
there 27 Aug (ph. RD), one near San Simon 
Cienega 6 Aug (RW), and one to 2 at Rodeo 16 
Aug and 15 Sep (RW). A pair of Yellow-billed 
Cuckoos was copulating near Villanueva 13 
Aug (WWe); others n. of usual areas were sin- 
gles at Sumner Dam 6 Sep (WWi) and Bosque 
Redondo and N.R.T. 30 Aug (JEP). Possibly 
the same Flammulated Owl was at N.R.T. 4 
Oct (ph. JO, ph. MH), 10 Oct OEP, WWi, ph. 
CW), and 15 Oct (MH, WWi); the species is an ' 
increasingly regular fall migrant to this prairie 
locale. Western Screech-Owls in the ne. were j 
vocal ones at Mills Canyon 25-28 Aug (SW) : 
and Corrampa Cr., Union 1 Oct (CR). A Short- ' 
eared Owl was soaring over grasslands w. of 
Radium Springs 18 Oct (DG). Efforts to detect 
Boreal Owl in the Apache Cr. area, n. Rio Arri- 
ba 13 Nov resulted in a “chuck” response to 
playback vocalizations (HW). A Lesser 
Nighthawk was n. to Albuquerque’s Montessa 
Park 4-5 Sep (NP, MB). Late was a Common 
Poorwill near Rodeo 5 Nov (AC, NM-C). 
Providing confirmatisn of the first successful nesting in southeastern New 
Mexico, this fledgling Gray Hawk was tended by adults in southern Eddy 
County 19 (here 27) August through 6 October 2908. Photograph by 
RobertH. Doster. 
128 
NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS 
