According to the New Mexico Ornithological Society, 549 species of birds have been recorded in New Mexico, making the Land of Enchantment especially enchanting for bird watchers!
Of those 549,426 have come through Doña Ana County at some time (eBird.org), and when spring and fall migrations are underway, many of them wing through our area. Where can you go to see some of these beauties? We asked the experts, the bird walk leaders of the Mesilla Valley Audubon Society, for their local go-to spots!
Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park
Fee: $5/car day use or free with NM State Parks Annual Day Use Pass
Bird sightings include: great blue heron, red-tailed hawk, Say’s phoebe, killdeer, and great egret
Location: 5000 Calle del Norte, Mesilla
East of Las Cruces Dam
Fee: none
Bird sightings include: northern shoveler, cinnamon teal, Gambel’s quail, pied-billed grebe, and bufflehead
Location: The three-mile trail runs along the east side of the Las Cruces dam from Sagecrest Park, 601 Roadrunner Parkway, Las Cruces, to Lohman Ave. Make sure to check out the bird blind at the reconstructed wetlands.
Tellbrook Park (Las Cruces City Park)
Fee: none
Bird sightings include: cactus wren, pine siskin, white-crowned sparrow, verdin, and crissal thrasher
Location: 4290 East Winchester Rd., Las Cruces
La Mancha Wetlands Restoration Project (Southwest Environmental Center)
Fee: none
Bird sightings include: green-winged teal, American coot, northern harrier, Lincoln’s sparrow, marsh wren
Location: La Mancha — Google Maps
Dripping Springs Natural Area (BLM)
Fee: $5/car day use or free with America the Beautiful pass
Bird sightings include: white-throated swift, ladder-backed woodpecker, western bluebird, canyon towhee, pyrrhuloxia (Pro tip: about ¼ mile before the La Cueva parking lot look up to the prominent nob on your right — sometimes there are golden eagles!)
Location: 15000 Dripping Springs Rd., Las Cruces
Chihuahuan Desert Nature Park (Asombro Institute)
Fee: none
Bird sightings include: scaled quail, Chihuahuan raven, American kestrel, loggerhead shrike, mourning dove
Location: 56501 N. Jornada Rd., Las Cruces
Mesilla Park Neighborhood
Fee: none
Bird sightings include: Inca dove, Eurasian collared dove, northern flicker, American robin, yellow-rumped warbler
Location: This residential neighborhood is University Ave. at McDowell, Bowman, and Conway roads. Please be respectful — do not trespass on anyone’s property and do not park in no-parking zones. Be friendly if someone asks what birds you’re finding!
La Llorona Park Trail (Las Cruces City Park)
Fee: none
Bird sightings include: gadwall, American wigeon, mallard, greater roadrunner, Wilson’s snipe
Location: 3440 W. Picacho Ave, Las Cruces
Leasburg State Park
Fee: $5/car day use or free with NM State Parks Annual Day Use Pass
Bird sightings include: phainopepla, dark-eyed junco, black phoebe, lesser goldfinch, hermit thrush
Location: 12712 State Park Rd., Radium Springs
During winter months, park at the visitors center and walk along the Buffalo Soldier Trail to the Mogollon Trail and to the day-use areas along the river.
Aguirre Spring Recreation Area (BLM)
Fee: $5/car day use or free with America the Beautiful pass
Bird sightings include: brown creeper, Townsend’s solitaire, Cassin’s finch, Williamson’s sapsucker, peregrine falcon
Location: 15000 Aguirre Spring Rd., Organ. Check out the Pine Tree Trail!
Written by Elaine Stachera Simon for LasCruces.com
Posted by LasCruces.com
