Rio Grande Nature Center, Albuquerque

Saturday I slipped out of the New Mexico Organic Farmers Conference for an hour before giving my talk in the afternoon. With only an hour to get my Bird RDA, I headed over to the Rio Grande Nature Center. A couple of small ponds and bird feeders in the riverside forest are the main draw here, and I quickly got over 30 species there. Highlights were four species of geese--Cackling Goose, Canada Goose, White-fronted Goose, and Snow Goose. But the show-stopper for me had to be the flocks of Sandhill Cranes flying overhead. I love these birds. When I lived in Austin, huge flocks would migrate north right over town. But living in Pennsylvania, they are a rare sight for me now. There are strings in my soul that only resonate now when stirred by the calls of cranes circling overhead. Hearing them in Albuquerque for the first time in a couple years, I was rejuvenated.

Day List: 39 species (195% of Bird RDA)
2008 List: 284 species