As I believe I stated previously, I wasn’t too happy about either my photographs or photographic opportunities on this trip to New Mexico.  However I am going to post a few more photos and then I’ll return to some nice photos from Skagit County.

The following photos, except for the meadowlark, were taken at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge (known for a program to restore Mexican gray wolves to the area) located between Socorro and Albuquerque.  First up is aa adult White-crowned sparrow with an injured foot or leg.

This is a juvenile White-crowned sparrow.  The markings are very similar but the head stripes are brown and gray instead of black and white.

This is a male House finch, a bird that is common in the Pacific Northwest.  I get nervous about my finch identifications when I travel to this area of the country because there are other species of finches notably (Cassin’s) in the area and the two species look relatively similar.

This is a female House finch.  Note the total lack of rose coloring on the bird.

Since the last time we visited the refuge added a small pond immediately adjacent to the parking lot so that I could photograph the birds using my car as a blind.  Since this is a very dry area of the country the birds were very attracted to the water.  It was a great location for birding photography.  In this photo a female House finch is using a tiny twig to obtain a drink of water.

And finally (there’s always a ‘finally’), here is a meadowlark.  There are both Eastern meadowlarks and Western meadowlarks and both are found in Texas and New Mexico.  I have no idea which species this is.  I was once told by one of Texas’ foremost birders that it’s virtually impossible to distinguish the two species by appearance.  His technique on Texas Christmas Bird Counts was to roll down the window and listen for their calls, which are distinctive… at least to him!

That concludes my New Mexico photography.  The next post you see will be a return to birds of Skagit County.