Bird Sightings Report, May 1 to May 31, 2010
Written by Roland on May 31, 2010 – 11:59 pm -May began with snow falling in Silver City on the first day of the month. Night time lows on the Gila River were in the low 40s and persisted throughout many of the early days of the month. It is difficult to know what affect this had on breeding birds. The height of the breeding season in our area is from 15 May to 15 June. As nesting begins, there is a noticeable decline in detectability for many species as one or both members of the breeding pair takes up the duties of brooding the eggs. Once the eggs have hatched, then the task of feeding hungry and impatient chicks begins, and detectability again increases.
Species Accounts
see also the results of the North American Migratory Count – Grant County, that follows the Species Accounts section.
Ducks: Larry Malone reported a Wood Duck at the Deming Waste Water Treatment plant (8 and 19 May).
Quail: Two Montezuma Quail were seen at Karen Beckenbach’s Silver City residence (11 may).
Pelicans: Larry Malone reports a Brown Pelican on Lake Roberts (28 May).
Herons and Ibis: A White-faced Ibis was reported from Mangas Springs (Laura Casas, 5 May). A Snowy Egret was seen by Laura Casas at Mangas Springs (5 May). A Cattle Egret was reported by Carolyn Malone (Deming, 8 May)
Snowy Egret by Laura Casas, Mangas Sp, 5 May
Hawks: A Peregrine Falcon was reported near Silver City by Julian Lee (13 May). A Harris Hawk was seen 9 miles south of Deming (Larry Malone, 8 May). Sandy Williams reports a White-tailed Kite 5 miles west of Columbus (26 May) and one north of the Animas Store in Animas (28 May). Brian Dolton reports a Northern Goshawk over Signal Peak (23 May). Ella Myers reported a Common Black-Hawk nesting on the Mimbres River (17 May). An Osprey was seen in the Cliff/Gila Valley (Daniel Walkup, Davena Crosley, 27 May).
Shorebirds: A Spotted Sandpiper was seen at Mangas Springs (Laura Casas, 7 May) and at the Tyrone sewage ponds (Gene Lewis, 1 on 2 May, 11 on 9 May, 9 on 16 May). Larry Malone reports 28 Willets west of Deming (7 May). Gene Lewis reports 9 Western Sandpipers at the Tyrone sewage ponds (2 May). Wilson’s Phalaropes were seen at the Tyrone sewage ponds (Gene Lewis, 1 on 2 May, 13 on 9 May, 3 on 16 May).
Pigeons and Doves: Karen Beckenbach reported 2 Band-tailed Pigeons at her Silver City residence (11 May) and a total of 20 on 25 May. Gene Lewis reported approximately 20 Band-tailed Pigeons at the Tyrone sewage ponds (30 May). A singing Common Ground-Dove was reported by Sandy Williams on NM 9 in the Playas Valley at mile marker 26 (28 May).
Owls: A Northern Pygmy-Owl was seen at the Jennings’ residence on Highway 152, 10 miles east of Silver City (May 1). “Ski” Szymanski reported a Barn Owl at the Lichty Center along the Gila River (1 May).
Barn Owl by “Ski” Szymanski, Lichty Center, 1 May
Hummingbirds: Karen Blisard reported a Rufous Hummingbird at her residence near Pinos Altos (4 May).
Woodpeckers: An Acorn Woodpecker was seen at Mangas Springs (Laura Casas, 11 May).
Flycatchers: Jim Rogers reported a “Western Flycatcher,” most likely a Cordilleran Flycatcher at Cherry Cr. Campground (11 May). “Western Flycatcher” was split into Pacific-slope Flycatcher and Cordilleran Flycatcher. During migration these two species are almost impossible to separate. A singing, territorial bird at Cherry Creek Campground would be a Cordilleran Flycatcher.
“Western Flycatcher” by Jim Rogers, Cherry Cr. Campground, 11 May
Vireos: Sandy Williams reported a Bell’s Vireo along NM 9 in the Playas Valley (28 May).
Jays: Sixteen Pinyon Jays and 1 Steller’s Jay were seen at the Karen Beckenbach’s Silver City residence (11 May).
Thrashers: Larry Malone reports an adult Bendire’s Thrasher feeding a young at Deming (19 May).
Warblers: Gene Lewis saw at least one Orange-crowned, Virginia’s, Yellow and Yellow-rumped Warblers at the Tyrone sewage ponds (9 May). Sandy Williams reported a Lucy’s Warbler at Hachita (27 May) and 2 Lucy’s Warblers along NM 9 in the Playas Valley (28 May).
Tanagers: Jim Roger reported a Western Tanager in Hanover (5 May); while Karen Beckenbach reported 21 Western Tanagers at her Silver City residence (11 May); Laura Casas reported a pair of Western Tanagers at Mangas Springs (12 May); Linda Zatopek reported one at her residence in the Burro Mts. (14 May), and Junella Haynes reported a male and female Western Tanager at her Silver City residence (12 May, 15 May). Karen Beckenbach also reported a Hepatic Tanager at her Silver City residence (11 May).
Towhees: A lingering Green-tailed Towhee was seen by Junella Haynes at her Silver City residence (12 May) and one was also seen by Gene Lewis at his Silver City residence (15 May).
Sparrows: A Clay-colored Sparrow was seen by Larry Malone (Columbus, 8 May).
Grosbeaks: Fifteen Black-headed Grosbeaks were reported by Karen Beckenbach at her Silver City residence (11 May). A Rose-breasted Grosbeak was reported by Steve London at his residence (near Hanover, 13 May).
Buntings: A Lazuli Bunting was seen visiting the feeders at the Karen Beckenbach Silver City residence (11 May), one was seen by Laura Casas at Mangas Springs (8 May), and a male was seen by Gene Lewis at his Silver City residence (15 and 16 May).
Icterids: Two Scott’s Orioles were reported by Karen Beckenbach at her Silver City residence (11 May). Gene Lewis reported a Bronzed Cowbird at his Silver City residence (12 May to 30 May)
Finches: Karen Beckenbach reported a Cassin’s Finch at her Silver City residence (11 May). Larry Malone reports a very high count, for this date, of 82 Pine Siskins in Deming (19 May).
2010 North American Migratory Count – Grant County, 8 May 2010
Jerry Bird Compiler
| Species | Regular | Feeders | Owling | Total |
| Wood Duck | 1 | 1 | ||
| Mallard | 58 | 58 | ||
| Mallard form | 6 | 6 | ||
| Mexican form | 5 | 5 | ||
| Blue-winged Teal | 1 | 1 | ||
| Northern Shoveler | 7 | 7 | ||
| Ring-necked Duck | 3 | 3 | ||
| Lesser Scaup | 4 | 4 | ||
| Bufflehead | 21 | 21 | ||
| Common Merganser | 6 | 6 | ||
| Ruddy Duck | 19 | 19 | ||
| Wild Turkey | 18 | 1 | 19 | |
| Gambel’s Quail | 172 | 66 | 238 | |
| Montezuma Quail | 5 | 5 | ||
| Pied-billed Grebe | 5 | 5 | ||
| Great Blue Heron | 13 | 13 | ||
| Snowy Egret | 6 | 6 | ||
| Black-crowned Night-Her 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Turkey Vulture | 167 | 18 | 185 | |
| Osprey | 1 | 1 | ||
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 2 | 2 | ||
| Common Black-Hawk | 9 | 9 | ||
| Swainson’s Hawk | 20 | 20 | ||
| Red-tailed Hawk | 20 | 20 | ||
| Golden Eagle | 3 | 3 | ||
| American Kestrel | 22 | 22 | ||
| Peregrine Falcon | 1 | 1 | ||
| American Coot | 127 | 127 | ||
| Killdeer | 24 | 24 | ||
| Greater Yellowlegs | 2 | 2 | ||
| Spotted Sandpiper | 39 | 39 | ||
| Wilson’s Phalarope | 11 | 11 | ||
| Rock Pigeon | 19 | 1 | 20 | |
| Band-tailed Pigeon | 6 | 48 | 54 | |
| Eurasian Collared-Dove | 49 | 13 | 62 | |
| White-winged Dove | 138 | 40 | 178 | |
| Mourning Dove | 460 | 38 | 498 | |
| Inca Dove | 1 | 1 | ||
| Greater Roadrunner | 5 | 1 | 6 | |
| Barn Owl | 1 | 1 | ||
| Western Screech-Owl | 3 | 3 | ||
| Great Horned Owl | 2 | 7 | 9 | |
| Elf Owl | 12 | 12 | ||
| Spotted Owl | 3 | 3 | ||
| Long-eared Owl | 1 | 1 | ||
| Lesser Nighthawk | 2 | 15 | 17 | |
| Common Poorwill | 13 | 13 | ||
| Whip-poor-will | 5 | 5 | ||
| White-throated Swift | 5 | 5 | ||
| Magnificent Hummingbird | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| Black-chinned Hummingbi | 83 | 74 | 157 | |
| Broad-tailed Hummingbir | 89 | 46 | 135 | |
| hummingbird species | 30 | 30 | ||
| Acorn Woodpecker | 24 | 5 | 29 | |
| Gila Woodpecker | 12 | 12 | ||
| Red-naped Sapsucker | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
| Ladder-backed Woodpecke | 12 | 2 | 14 | |
| Downy Woodpecker | 1 | 1 | ||
| Hairy Woodpecker | 17 | 1 | 18 | |
| Northern Flicker | 23 | 3 | 26 | |
| red-shafted | 2 | 2 | ||
| Olive-sided Flycatcher | 7 | 7 | ||
| Western Wood-Pewee | 122 | 122 | ||
| Willow Flycatcher | 3 | 3 | ||
| Hammond’s Flycatcher | 2 | 2 | ||
| Gray Flycatcher | 17 | 17 | ||
| Dusky Flycatcher | 7 | 7 | ||
| Cordilleran Flycatcher | 13 | 13 | ||
| Empidonax species | 37 | 37 | ||
| Black Phoebe | 37 | 37 | ||
| Say’s Phoebe | 33 | 4 | 37 | |
| Vermillion Flycatcher | 49 | 49 | ||
| Ash-throated Flycatcher | 75 | 2 | 77 | |
| Brown-crested Flycatch | 3 | 3 | ||
| Cassin’s Kingbird | 106 | 4 | 110 | |
| Western Kingbird | 146 | 3 | 149 | |
| Loggerhead Shrike | 2 | 2 | ||
| Bell’s Vireo | 13 | 13 | ||
| Plumbeous Vireo | 41 | 41 | ||
| Cassin’s Vireo | 2 | 2 | ||
| Warbling Vireo | 25 | 1 | 26 | |
| Steller’s Jay | 20 | 9 | 29 | |
| Western Scrub-Jay | 52 | 13 | 65 | |
| Mexican Jay | 28 | 18 | 46 | |
| Pinyon Jay | 64 | 64 | ||
| American Crow | 2 | 15 | 17 | |
| Chihuahuan Raven | 49 | 7 | 56 | |
| Common Raven | 59 | 18 | 77 | |
| Raven species | 161 | 1 | 162 | |
| Horned Lark | 22 | 22 | ||
| Violet-green Swallow | 305 | 10 | 315 | |
| Northern Rough-winged | 64 | 64 | ||
| Cliff Swallow | 29 | 16 | 45 | |
| Barn Swallow | 23 | 5 | 28 | |
| swallow species | 3 | 3 | ||
| Mountain Chickadee | 21 | 2 | 23 | |
| Bridled Titmouse | 3 | 3 | ||
| Juniper Titmouse | 14 | 5 | 19 | |
| Verdin | 1 | 1 | ||
| Bushtit | 26 | 12 | 38 | |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | 45 | 10 | 55 | |
| Pygmy Nuthatch | 20 | 2 | 22 | |
| Cactus Wren | 4 | 4 | ||
| Rock Wren | 14 | 1 | 15 | |
| Canyon Wren | 1 | 1 | ||
| Bewick’s Wren | 43 | 8 | 51 | |
| House Wren | 21 | 21 | ||
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 14 | 4 | 18 | |
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | 3 | 3 | ||
| Black-tailed Gnatcatch | 4 | 4 | ||
| Western Bluebird | 32 | 8 | 40 | |
| Mountain Bluebird | 6 | 6 | ||
| Townsend’s Solitaire | 2 | 2 | ||
| Hermit Thrush | 30 | 30 | ||
| American Robin | 152 | 12 | 164 | |
| Northern Mockingbird | 63 | 63 | ||
| Sage Thrasher | 1 | 1 | ||
| Bendire’s Thrasher | 2 | 2 | ||
| Curve-billed Thrasher | 31 | 5 | 36 | |
| Crissal Thrasher | 1 | 1 | ||
| European Starling | 21 | 21 | ||
| Phainopepla | 4 | 2 | 6 | |
| Olive Warbler | 3 | 3 | ||
| Orange-crowned Warbler | 12 | 12 | ||
| Virginia’s Warbler | 5 | 5 | ||
| Lucy’s Warbler | 36 | 2 | 38 | |
| Yellow Warbler | 121 | 3 | 124 | |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | 158 | 5 | 163 | |
| Myrtle | 2 | 2 | ||
| Audubon’s | 31 | 6 | 37 | |
| undifferentiated | 49 | 49 | ||
| Black-throated Gray War | 9 | 9 | ||
| Townsend’s Warbler | 4 | 4 | ||
| Grace’s Warbler | 25 | 25 | ||
| Northern Waterthrush | 1 | 1 | ||
| MacGillivray’s Warbler | 23 | 23 | ||
| Common Yellowthroat | 9 | 9 | ||
| Wilson’s Warbler | 225 | 2 | 227 | |
| Red-faced Warbler | 27 | 27 | ||
| Painted Redstart | 11 | 11 | ||
| Yellow-breasted Chat | 47 | 47 | ||
| Hepatic Tanager | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
| Summer Tanager | 64 | 64 | ||
| Western Tanager | 80 | 9 | 89 | |
| Green-tailed Towhee | 10 | 3 | 13 | |
| Spotted Towhee | 117 | 7 | 124 | |
| Canyon Towhee | 38 | 23 | 61 | |
| Abert’s Towhee | 5 | 5 | ||
| Rufous-crowned Sparrow | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
| Chipping Sparrow | 328 | 52 | 380 | |
| Brewer’s Sparrow | 57 | 57 | ||
| Black-chinned Sparrow | 2 | 2 | ||
| Vesper Sparrow | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Lark Sparrow | 208 | 2 | 210 | |
| Black-throated Sparrow | 39 | 39 | ||
| Lark Bunting | 1 | 1 | ||
| Savannah Sparrow | 1 | 1 | ||
| Song Sparrow | 3 | 3 | ||
| Lincoln’s Sparrow | 1 | 1 | ||
| White-crowned Sparrow | 70 | 9 | 79 | |
| black-lored | 1 | 1 | ||
| undifferentiated | 30 | 30 | ||
| Dark-eyed Junco | 49 | 20 | 69 | |
| undifferentiated | 27 | 27 | ||
| Northern Cardinal | 21 | 21 | ||
| Rose-breasted Grosbeak | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Black-headed Grosbeak | 113 | 62 | 175 | |
| Blue Grosbeak | 5 | 2 | 7 | |
| Lazuli Bunting | 8 | 3 | 11 | |
| Indigo Bunting | 4 | 4 | ||
| Red-winged Blackbird | 29 | 17 | 46 | |
| Eastern Meadowlark | 4 | 4 | ||
| meadowlark species | 3 | 3 | ||
| Brewer’s Blackbird | 16 | 3 | 19 | |
| Great-tailed Grackle | 78 | 5 | 83 | |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | 117 | 41 | 158 | |
| Hooded Oriole | 19 | 4 | 23 | |
| Bullock’s Oriole | 71 | 14 | 85 | |
| Scott’s Oriole | 13 | 4 | 17 | |
| Cassin’s Finch | 2 | 12 | 14 | |
| House Finch | 218 | 53 | 271 | |
| Pine Siskin | 148 | 173 | 321 | |
| Lesser Goldfinch | 57 | 27 | 84 | |
| black-backed | 1 | 1 | ||
| undifferentiated | 12 | 2 | 14 | |
| American Goldfinch | 2 | 2 | ||
| House Sparrow | 194 | 16 | 210 | |
| total species | 180 | 80 | 8 | 188 |
| total individuals | 7058 | 1144 | 59 | 8261 |
I encourage the submission of records and photos. In order to increase the scientific value of your sightings, please include a date and location. I do not know where many of you live, so a brief description would be much appreciated. Undated sightings, with or without a location, are of little value. Please send your photos and reports to tyrannidae@gmail.com. A thanks to all who submitted this month and in the past.
All photographs displayed in this Bird Sightings Report remain the sole property of the photographer. Expressed written permission from the photographer is necessary to use any of these photographs.
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