Arizona - New Mexico Trip ~ October 5, 2020

Since I had already seen both the male and the female quetzals the day before, I checked to see how long it would take me to get to the plover spot, which was way up in northeastern New Mexico, not far from the Colorado border. Realizing that it would require an 8-hour drive, I figured that if I left Portal by 8:00 AM, I could get there and still have at least an hour to look for it before sunset. My hope was that the quetzals would show up before that time and allow me to get some better photos. So, I parked near the bridge at first light and began listening for their calls. Within a half-hour, I heard one call at the same time a lady from Minnesota spotted the pair from her car just down the road. For at least the next hour, the birds put on an amazing show while feeding and sunning themselves between the bridge and the entrance to Hidden Terrace Road. It was really tough to choose which photos to include because they were so cooperative. Here are several of the female showing off her metallic-green back, red belly, and grayish head and chest.

Eared Quetzal --- female

The male displayed his greenish head and breast, larger patch of red, and the metallic blues and greens on the back, rump, and tail.

Eared Quetzal --- male

I was lucky to get a few flight shots of the male. I wish they would have been sharper, but I was still happy with what I got. And yes, the orientation is correct. The bird dropped straight down from his perch.

Eared Quetzal --- male in flight

Several times, the pair perched together, but they were rarely at a spot where both birds could be clearly seen. This was one of those few times when they were both pretty much unobstructed.

Eared Quetzal pair --- female (left) and male (right)

The only species additions from the day before were Wild Turkey, Gambel's Quail, and Lincoln's Sparrow.

Totally thrilled with the looks that I got, I left Cave Creek Canyon right at 8:00 AM and headed for Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge in northeast New Mexico. On the way down Portal Road to Route 80, I saw Northern Harrier, Greater Roadrunner, and Loggerhead Shrike.

After heading north on Route 80, the route took me east across I-10 to Deming, northeast on Route 26 to Hatch, and north on I-25 through Albuquerque and past Santa Fe. Along Route 26, I saw a Golden Eagle and two good-sized groups of Sandhill Cranes.

Around 150 Sandhill Cranes

A few Snowy Egrets and Eurasian Collared-Doves flew across the road near the town of Hatch, proclaimed as the "Chile Capital of the World", which had bunches of red chile peppers hanging in many places throughout.

Hatch, New Mexico --- the "Chile Capital of the World"

After passing the Santa Fe area, I-25 entered a large area of pinyon-juniper habitat. Birds noted in that habitat included Pinyon Jay, Clark's Nutcracker, and Common Raven. After passing through Las Vegas, New Mexico (not Nevada), the highway entered a massive open area that contained numerous groups of Pronghorn and a few Elk here and there.

I-25 south of Wagon Mound, New Mexico

I exited at the small town of Maxwell and arrived at the refuge's "Lake 14" at around 5:30 PM. I parked in the small lot and asked a birding couple that was getting ready to leave if they had seen the bird. They told me that it was indeed there in the southwest corner of the lake. After a short walk out, I spotted the European Golden-Plover feeding along the muddy edge with some Pectoral Sandpipers and Killdeer. With the place all to myself and the lowering sun behind me, I started snapping away.

European Golden-Plover

It took a while, but I finally captured the bird's distinctive white wing linings during one of its wing stretches.

I got these two flight photos when a Merlin flew across the lake and stirred things up.

European Golden-Plover

Some of the other birds seen there included Great Blue Heron, Green-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, American Kestrel, American Coot, Sandhill Crane, Long-billed Curlew, and Western Meadowlark.

Sandhill Cranes

Long-billed Curlew

Western Meadowlark

As I watched the sun drop behind the mountain, I thought about how fortunate I was to see two life birds 554 miles apart in this one day.

Sunset at "Lake 14" in Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge

I left the refuge and drove 83 more miles back south to Las Vegas, which was the nearest town with motels, gas, and food. After refueling at the Kentucky Fried Chicken, I spent the night at the Comfort Inn in Las Vegas.

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