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Sartor 0. Williams III 
S ummer 2009 saw plentiful rains in some 
sections but continued drought in oth- 
ers, resulting in uneven breeding per- 
formance by many species, often in closely 
adjoining areas. The phenomenon of species 
expanding northward has been well publi- 
cized, but several other species, typically ri- 
parian, have been spreading southward in re- 
cent years; this season, both Cedar Waxwing 
and American Goldfinch continued to make 
conspicuous inroads into New Mexico. 
Meanwhile, Long-billed Murrelet was added 
to the state list when one was salvaged from a 
brine pit near Loving. 
Abbreviations: B.L.N.W.R. (Bitter Lake 
N.W.R.); Bosque (Bosque del Apache N.W.R.); 
E.B.L. (Elephant Butte L.); L.V.N.W.R. (Las 
Vegas N.W.R.); N.R.T. (n. Roosevelt migrant 
trap w. of Melrose); R.G.V (Rio Grande Val- 
ley); R.S. (Rattlesnake Springs area, Eddy). 
WATERFOWL THROUGH TERNS 
Far-flung Wood Ducks included single males 
w. to Crownpoint 4-5 Jun (WWi, DK) and Ty- 
rone 30 Jul (EL). Noteworthy for Lincoln, a fe- 
male Gadwall was tending young at Capitan 
25 Jul (CR); in Socorro, a female Green- 
winged Teal was escorting young at La Joya 19 
Jul (DH); in Eddy, a Redhead pair with young 
was at Mexican L. near Malaga 20 Jul (SW). 
Perhaps a first for the Sandia Mts., a female 
Dusky Grouse with chicks was along the 
Cienega Spring Trail 19 Jul (R. Murphy). 
Montezuma Quail were again found n. to the 
vicinity of Horse Springs, Catron, with singles 
at two sites 7 Jun (DH); in the s. Sacramento 
Mts., singles were at two sites near Pinon 14 
Jun (WH). A Brown Pelican at Morgan L. in 
May continued through the summer (ph. TR, 
ph. MB); another discovered at Santa Rosa L. 
7 Jun (ph. RM) likewise remained through the 
season. The Neotropic Cormorant found n. to 
Morgan L. in May was still present 13 Jun (ph. 
TR). The Double-crested Cormorant colony at 
Santa Rosa L. contained 46 active nests 10 Jun 
(RM), the most yet counted there. Isolated 
Great Blue Heron colonies included six active 
nests at Morgan L. in Jun (ph. TR), 10 or more 
nests with young at Quemado L. 4 Jun (ph. 
HW), and one nest with young at Snow L. 23 
Jun (CH). Snowy Egrets were conspicuous in 
the Albuquerque area and may be nesting lo- 
cally; noteworthy were 25 near Alameda 26 
Jun (DK) and 15 in the South Valley 4 Jul QJ)- 
A strong Tricolored Heron season produced 
single imms. at Sumner L. 3 Jun (WH) and 
Holloman L. 30 Jul (ph. M. Turner), 2 imms. 
at Brantley L. 28 Jul (WWi), and 2 imms. at 
B.L.N.W.R. 31 Jul OP, WWi, MS, JZ). A subad. 
Reddish Egret was at B.L.N.W.R. 30 Jun-1 Jul 
(ph. JS). Two Yellow-crowned Night-Herons 
reached the lower Pecos Valley, an ad. at L. 
Avalon 12 Jul (ph. SW) and an imm. at Six 
Mile Dam 28 Jul (WWi). 
An Osprey was s. to Snow L. 
23 Jun (CH). A White-tailed 
Kite was at Rodeo 27 Jul (RW); 
2 ads. with an imm. near Sun- 
shine s. of Deming 10 Jul (D. 
Williams, fide LM) suggested 
successful nesting there. An 
ad. and an imm. Mississippi 
Kite at Socorro’s Riverine Park 
19 63 : 26 Jul (DH) may be in- 
dicative of a new nesting lo- 
cale. Four Bald Eagle nests, 
two each in Rio Arriba and Col- 
fax, were all successful, fledg- 
ing a total 6 young in Jun (DS). 
A Northern Harrier pair at 
Morgan L. fledged one young 
by 27 Jul (ph. TR); a pair at 
B.L.N.W.R. through Jun may have nested, but 
no young were detected (JS). A Common 
Black-Hawk was n. in the R.G.V. to Albu- 
querque’s South Valley 4 Jul QJ); in the Sacra- 
mento Mts., one was on the Rio Bonito at Sal- 
ado Cr. 25 Jul (CR). North of usual, a Harris’s 
Hawk was n. of Roswell at Cocklebur L. 4 Jun 
(WH). Gray Hawks continued much in evi- 
dence in Guadalupe Canyon (m.ob.) and in 
the lower Pecos Valley in the Black R. area 
(m.ob.); others included one in lower Clan- 
ton Canyon 16 Jun QB) and a vocal ad. on the 
Ladder Ranch along Las Animas Cr., Siena 30 
Jul (WWe). Four captive-bred Aplomado Fal- 
cons were released in the Deming area 12 Jun 
(U.S.EW.S.), near where native Aplomados 
nested in recent years; some 120 have been 
released in New Mexico over the past three 
years, and 100 more were slated for release in 
New Mexico and w. Texas in 2009, forever ob- 
scuring re-colonization by wild birds. 
Noteworthy for the Zuni Mts. was a Vir- 
ginia Rail in the upper Bluewater Cr. wetlands 
7 Jul (HS). An imm. Common Moorhen was 
n. to Albuquerque 30-31 Jul (D. Paez); a pair 
with 3 chicks was at Bosque 20 Jun-19 Jul 
(m.ob.). American Coots breeding in obscure 
locales included a nest at Lake Valley, Sien a 9 
Jul (DC) and ads. plus a chick near Weed, 
Otero 14 Jul (WH). Snowy Plovers away from 
breeding strongholds were 2 n. to Maxwell 
N.W.R. 13-14 Jun QP. MB, NP, CW) and one at 
E.B.L. 3 & 14 Jul (DC). A Semipalmated 
Plover at Holloman L. 17 Jul (MB) was early. 
Noteworthy for Valencia, the pond at Belen’s 
Taco Bell had 22 ad. Black-necked Stilts with 
several chicks plus 6 ad. American Avocets 
with 6 or more chicks 13 Jun (WH). Earliest 
Upland Sandpipers were 2 at B.L.N.W.R. and 
10 at Six Mile Dam 31 Jul QP)- Surprising in 
summer s. to Luna were a Long-billed Curlew 
e. of Columbus 6 Jun (MS, JZ, J. Paton) and 2 
together in grasslands near Hermanas 14 Jun 
(G. Bieber). The appearance of Marbled God- 
wits in mid- to late Jun may indicate breeding 
failure farther north; this season found singles 
at Deming 12 Jun (LM) and Stubblefield L. 13 
Jun (NP), 2 at E.B.L. 20 Jun QP, WWi), 3 at 
Morgan L. 25 Jun (TR), and 36 at Bosque 28 
Jun (CW). Northbound White-rumped Sand- 
pipers continued well into Jun, including 45 
at B.L.N.W.R. 4 Jun (WH), 4 at Holloman L. 8 
Jun (ph. MB), up to 11 at L.VN.W.R. 7-8 Jun 
(CR, WWi), and up to 12 at Maxwell N.W.R. 
13-14 Jun (m.ob.). Unusual for the season 
were 4 Red-necked Phalaropes at B.L.N.W.R. 
3 Jun and 7 there 17 Jun QS). Surprising was 
a bright Red Phalarope at B.L.N.W.R. 4 Jun 
(ph. WH). High counts for summering but 
non-breeding California Gulls were 13 at 
Morgan L. 6 Jun (DH) and 25 there 30 Jun 
(TR), and 6 at E.B.L. 6 Jun (jP) and up to 13 
Providing New Mexico's ninth record in the past 10 years, this Arctic Tern was at 
Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge, Colfax County on 13 June 2009. Photograph 
by Nicholas D. Pederson. 
630 
NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS 
