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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hamhed" data-source="post: 3346520" data-attributes="member: 70825">Dec 26:Our section of the Caballo Christmas Bird Count was the Percha Dam State Park just south of the town with the debatably attractive name of “Truth Or Consequences”.   We got on the road early to meet with two long time participants at the park.  The drive on Rt. 152 from Kingston through the town of Hillsboro was a pleasant one.  It begins with somewhat steep hills and tight curves and allows intermittent views of fast moving Percha Creek.  The latter part, part Hillsboro, was through rolling hills and a desert landscape.   We were dressed for the arctic as freezing temperatures and strong, biting winds were forecast for the day.  Our partners for the day, John G. and John B., from El Paso, Texas, joined us in the parking lot as we were viewing a pair of Pyrrhuloxias.  The habitat at the park was quite varied; we had still water, moving water, open fields, thickets, mature trees, etc.  The expectations for this section are for a list of 80 or more species.  The four of us worked every corner of the park, never escaping the wind or cold, but fell far short of the average.  Still, we added a good number of species to our trip list.  The still water both above and below the dam had several birds - Black Phoebe, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Killdeer and a few Spotted Sandpipers working the banks.  Green-winged Teal, Mallards and Buffleheads floated downstream.   An immature Bald Eagle gave them all a fright but passed without much of a glance downwards.  Passerines included White-crowned Sparrows in greatest numbers though Chipping Sparrows were also abundant and new for the trip list.  A Verdin provided just a quick glimpse in a brush pile never to be refound.  Ruby-crowned Kinglets fidgeted here and there, easily identified by their quick and constant movement.  Our companions were mildly excited by an Eastern Phoebe, apparently at the edge of its range.While we watched bluebirds, both Eastern and Western, huddled in the trees, a Peregrine Falcon sped through with apparent intent on dining elsewhere.  Also overhead were a constant flow of Sandhill Cranes and Ravens, which our fellow birders were confident to call all Chihuahuan.  After a quick lunch and a break in the car from the ever present wind, a walk through a manicured grove of pecan trees produced none of the hoped for Sapsuckers.  Say’s Phoebes, Ladder-backed Woodpeckers and the yellow-throated race of Yellow-rumped Warblers filled that gap. Across a drainage ditch in a cornfield, two Snow Geese kept company with a good number of Canada Geese while on our side of that ditch were a few Meadowlarks picking through an old cornfield.  Back near the parking area and completing our circuit of the park, we add several crested Phainopepla’s, coal black and red-eyed.  Not long after 2pm, snow flurries fell for the second time that day.  That was enough for Liz and I to let our companions carry on to the driving portion and the final leg of the count.  We drove back through intermittent snowfall, arriving to an inch on the ground in Kingston.  The warmth and comfort of the rambling old lodge was everything we wanted for the rest of the day.   That and to conjecture on what “Goliath” might have in store for us.  Percha Dam State Park:<a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S26482658" target="_blank">http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S26482658</a></blockquote>

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