Albuquerque - Rio Grande Valley State Park

Thursday  March 8, 2018

We spent our last day in town birding with the Finns at Rio Grande Valley State Park, a short drive from our home.  It popped up on the web as one of the best birding sites in the area and had been recommended by the folks at the Visitor's Center. We were amazed when we realized we'd spent 6 hours wandering on the trails and at the bird blind.  The Visitor's Center had interesting displays and an inside viewing area in the library with comfortable chairs with reference books nearby.  The park was busy with a variety of people either getting exercise or birding.

A Female Cassin's finch

Turtles basking in the sun by the park Visitor's Center

Closeup of turtles - red-eared sliders and big bend sliders

Mary at the tunnel entrance of the park's Visitor's Center

The highlight of the day was when a woman, noticing we were birding, had us retrace our steps to see a roosting great horned owl in a nest, virtually over the path.  The male was perched in the nearby brush. The pair have been nesting at the site for a number of years, so the locals know to look for them, we didn't, and had missed them when we walked past.  While we were busy taking photos, 2 other women stopped to chat, showing us a cell phone picture taken last year of 2 fledgling owlets perched on the edge of the nest.  Wow.
  

  Male great horned owl keeping watch near the nest

Female great horned owl sitting on the nest

We finished the day at the Tingley Park and the ponds where water fowl gather to beg for food from the locals.  With little kids tossing bread and treats, it was a mob scene with a variety of birds vying for tidbits.  No, feeding the birds isn't good for them - totally the wrong diet - but it does bring in the birds.  We all agreed it was a great day - good thing we all like walking and looking at birds.

Canvasback duck

Interesting ball sculpture in Tingley Park

Mary and Chuck relaxing at our Airbnb after a day of birding

We had a lot of fun spending time and sharing adventures with the Finns in Albuquerque. In the morning we'll both heading west, with plans to visit the the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park.