Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Birding Lincoln National Forest

I am in Ruidoso, NM, which is a town settled in Lincoln National Forest. I have been birding in the mountainous temparate Ponderosa and Juniper forests. I have seen many birds, including the Pygmy Nuthatch, Pine Siskin, Red-backed Junco, Acorn Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Stellers Jay, Grace's Warbler, and Western Bluebirds. I have also seen a flycatcher that had a very distinct vest, so It could be a Western-wood Pewee or an Olive-sided Flycatcher, but I didnt see the markings on the undertail coverts so I might never know...
The lifers I've gotten here so far are:
Red Crossbill
Rufous Hummingbird
Say's Phoebe
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Dusky Flycatcher.

I will post all the photographs as soon as I get home and am looking forward to getting more lifers and amazing birds :)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Watch those vests carefully - Olive-sided should show a dark grayish vest on a white ground color. Western Wood-Pewee should have a dusky, less distinct vest on a yellowish ground color.

I honestly never even though about the undertail coverts!

Cole Wolf said...

At this time of year WWPE would be more likely (I think you're a little too far south and east for them). Once you've seen a few of both they're easy, but I've never heard anything about the undertail coverts either...