New Mexico is located directly on the Central Flyway, which makes it a great spot for bird-watching all year long. Each region of the state offers refuge to a wide variety of birds, including everything from doves, finches, bluebirds, and roadrunners (the state bird), to the rare and wonderful whooping crane. The bald eagle is also frequently spotted during winter and spring migrations. A good place to pull out your binoculars is the Gila National Forest (tel. 505/388-8201) near Silver City. Also check out the wildlife refuge centers in New Mexico, most notably the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, 93 miles south of Albuquerque (tel. 505/835-1828). Others include the Rio Grande Nature Center, Albuquerque (tel. 505/344-7240), the Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge, 5 miles southeast of Las Vegas (tel. 505/425-3581), and Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, 13 miles northeast of Roswell (tel. 505/622-6755). Some common sightings at these areas might include sandhill cranes, snow geese, a wide variety of ducks, and falcons. New Mexico is also home to an amazing variety of hummingbirds. In fact, in early 1996, New Mexico was able to add the Cinnamon Hummingbird to its list of birds. Its sighting in Santa Teresa marked only its second sighting in the United States. The number of verified species in New Mexico is now 478. New Mexico ranks fourth (behind Texas, California, and Arizona) in the number of birds that live in or have passed through the state.
To find out about bird-watching activities in New Mexico, contact the state office of the National Audubon Society, 1800 Upper Canyon Rd., Santa Fe (tel. 505/983-4609; www.nm.audubon.org).
