john@nmtsun.nmt.edu (John Shipman) (12/20/88)
Cochiti Lake is the only large body of water in central New Mexico;
it can be reached by going north from Albuquerque on I-25 for about
40 miles to the Cochiti Dam exit, then a few miles west. My neighbor
Phil and I worked this site on Dec. 13.
Rarities we saw:
Red-breasted Merganser - my state bird; there were two scruffy
late-eclipse males at the edge of the 300+ Common Mergansers.
When scanning, they appear smaller and dirtier; in the scope,
the slimmer bill and streaked rusty chest patch were diagnostic.
Greater Scaup - added to the state checklist only a few years ago,
these birds are rare migrants across New Mexico. One male and
one female were just above the dam, identifiable by their
flat-headed appearance in profile.
Northern Shrike - irregular in the state, one was working the
picnic tables near the dam headquarters on the west side.
A young bird with brown cap and brownish wash on the back
and sides, unmistakable at close range with its long bill.
Rarities we missed:
Black-legged Kittiwake - seen on the 11th; an immature with the
"W" mark on the back in flight.
?Thayer's Gull - possible immature seen an hour after we left. Or
maybe I should call it "Iceland (Thayer's) Gull", eh, Mr. Snell?
Other birds we saw:
Canada Goose Ruddy Duck
Mallard Northern Harrier
N. Pintail Golden Eagle (2a, 1i)
Gadwall Bald Eagle (1a)
American Wigeon American Coot
N. Shoveler Ring-billed Gull
Green-winged Teal Red-shafted Flicker
Common Goldeneye (2m) Common Raven
Bufflehead Western Bluebird
Common Merganser
--
John Shipman/Zoological Data Processing/Socorro, New Mexico
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