September 2025 Part Two: Colorado Trip Report

 

Joyful Journeys-San Luis Valley, Colorado

In Mid-September, I drove up to the San Luis Valley in Colorado to meet longtime friends from the Boulder area. We met for two nights at Joyful Journeys Hot Springs and Spa. As it turns out, we did the same meet-up exactly a year before, so now we're thinking it's an annual event. The valley sits to the west of the northern part of the Sangre de Cristo range. From the spa, we could look out to see stunning views of the fall aspen in the mountains.

 

As it turns out, this trip fit completely into the relaxed MO of all my travels this year: A fairly short drive as road trips go, then we planted ourselves on the grounds of the spa, no more driving  until it was time to go. Breakfast and dinner was provided, which really makes it my kind of place. Nothing to do but visit, walk around the peaceful grounds, soak in the hot springs, practice Tai Chi, read, and watch the birds and wildlife. Though we stayed comfortably in the lodge, Tipis and Yurts are also available to guests. 

 

 

The grounds have a labyrinth and a meditation tipi, which sit beautifully on the landscape. (I think I'm sounding like an ad here, though not my intention.)

 

We spent a lot of time on our back porch, watching the birds that would pop up in the trees and shrubs. Sometimes we watched them from out the window as various species would pop up in the bushes: Green-Tailed Towhee, Song Sparrow, Northern Flicker, and more.. As I've experienced in all my trips this year, some of the best close-up bird observation can happen this way. 

 

Song Sparrow. They haven't arrived in Albuquerque yet, so it was a treat to see and hear them. 

 

Northen Flicker: At one point, there were four of them together in the tree behind our room. This seems to be the time of year to see them in small family groups. 

The Eurasian Collared-Doves were being very lovey-dovey.

 

Meditation Hill

In addition to the backyard version, we discovered another good place to sit (or stand) and watch birds and wildlife, looking down into the valley from a little circle of cairns and benches called Meditation Hill. From this vantage point, we saw Black-Billed Magpies, Mountain Bluebirds, Horned Larks, a Golden Eagle, and a herd of Pronghorn. Everything was too far away (or too skulky) to get photos, so I did quick sketches of the two stars of the show. 

 Golden Eagle and Pronghorn

 Bird of the Trip: Pine Siskin

Birders often have a ritual of choosing a "bird of the day" on bird outings. It could be the most rare find, or the most unexpected, or just a favorite for personal reasons. Though I just called that far away Golden Eagle a star, the real stars for me are almost always the closest encounters. So here is my Pine Siskin Story. 

A flock of Pine Siskin hung around the near the lodge. We found them in the backyard trees, and all over the grounds. In these photos, they are drinking from a shallow birdbath.

One afternoon as I headed back to the room, I saw a Pine Siskin in a small pine maybe 10 feet from me. To my surprise and delight, the little bird flew down and landed on a sunflower stalk just two feet away from me. I didn't dare move a muscle as the Siskin foraged from bloom to bloom, moving closer to me with each hop. After watching for awhile, I decided to very slowly raise my phone to try to get a photo. Of course that was the end of the moment. But this is the "bird moment" I treasure most from the trip. 

 

That concludes my news from September. I look forward to seeing what October will bring, and hope you also find some joy in your journeys, wherever you are, and whatever you do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 2025: Reverence For Rivers

 

On September 28, I went to a fascinating and inspiring talk by Cynthia Barnett, called "A Reverence For Rivers: Luna Leopold's Call for a Water Ethic." The term aptly captures my feelings about the Rio Grande, heightened in this past few months by the experience of watching the waters through Albuquerque run dry. It's one thing to know intellectually that the river is at risk, and another to experience the actuality: No more taking our beloved river for granted. 

Pueblo Montano Stories: Ebb and Flow, Sorrow and Joy

Earlier in the month, on September 12th, I had gone birding with a friend by the river south of Montano. To my dismay, the waters of the river had dried up again, down to just a few puddles. I family of coyotes was out in the river bed, drinking from the puddles.

 

The ditch that runs to the west of the river was also dry.. In one algea-laden puddle, the skeletons of fish brought home the reality of the drought's effect on wildlife. 

  

Seeing that hit kind of hard. I found consolation in an experience recounted by another birder who frequently visits this section of the river. He told me that he had seen a Snapping Turtle struggling in the dry ditch. He went down into the ditch and, holding the turtle by the tail at arm's length to avoid its snapping, carried it to the nearby arroyo, where the water was still running. I thought of something Fred Rogers said: "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.' " That's what this story did for me. 

We had some good rain the next day, and just two days later, I went to the same stretch of river to find it flowing again. Shallow, but flowing. The sad reality is that, without enough snowmelt from the winter, summer rains aren't enough to provide all the water the river needs. Knowing that doesn't erase the happiness and the glimmer of hope the monsoons bring. 

Above: Rio Grande South of Montano: September 14

Adjacent: Variegated Fritillary

Below: Yellow-Breasted Chat and Black Phoebe 

 

 North Diversion Channel Outflow

The North Diversion Channel Outflow by 4th and Tramway is an important part of Albuquerque's hydrology. When the monsoons come, the waters collect here and surge towards the river for much needed replenishing. It can be rather ugly, as part of its function is to collect the trash running through the Albuquerque ditches before it gets to the river. It is also a hot spot this time of year for migratory shorebirds and other waterbirds. When I visited in mid-September, I was struck by the beauty rather than the ugliness. The place was green, flowering, and filled with life, fed by the water that consistently flows through .

 Above: North DIversion Channel Outflow. September 15.

Adjacent: Western Grebe, a rarity passing through.  

Below: Male Wood Duck in breeding plumage.  

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When waters are higher in the channel, the deeper water attracts birds like those pictured above. The shorebirds stick to the shallow water and the sandbars. Sometimes, the channel is running low, becoming a very attractive place for shorebirds. When I visited again on September 29, three Wilson's Snipe were busily foraging amongst the garbage. 

 

Back to The RIver

Throughout the month of September, I checked the river every chance I got. Though the water remained shallow, the river continued to flow. Until September 26, when I visited a stretch of the river near Candelaria. Though a minimal flow remained, much of the riverbed was again cracked and drying mud. 

And yet!  Three days later, after a weekend of rainstorms, I decided to go to the Tingley Bosque see how the river was faring  I arrived at the river's edge to a sight I almost thought t I'd never see again: A Rio Grande running high and fast.

 

 

 

You may well be wondering what all those chunks of matter are floating down  the river. At first I thought they were rocks, and was astounded that the water flow could be heavy enough to carry them. When one landed on the shore near me, I touched it and found it soft and foamy. When I picked up some of the foam, it left a residue of dirt on my hand. I learned that this substance is called DOC (Dissolved Organic Carbon), and is a natural substance made of decaying plant material and soil  that gets formed in the rain. So, as odd as the stuff looks, I looked upon this abundance of foam as part of the joyful event of a finally abundant river. 

The next day, I went down to the Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area in Belen, south of Albuquerque. There in the river, we found masses of this Dissolved Organic Compound that had gathered to form what looked like islands. I would love to be closer so I could visit regularly and watch what happen to these foamy islands over time. 

But before I lose my audience on this newest nerdy obsession, here are some pretty pictures of the flora and fauna that brought beauty to this past month of river reverence.

Sunflowers at the Candelaria Wetlands pond. 

Below: Juvenile Green Heron in the Wetlands pond, and Snowy Egret in the visitor center pond. 

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Northern Flickers seeming to have a little spat at Tingley Bosque Ponds. Maybe juvenile siblings?

Below: Bushtits foraging in the Tingley Bosque.   

Juvenile Great Blue Heron fishing in the south pond, so close and not minding me at all.  

 

 

 

At Whitfield Wildlife Conservation area, top to bottom: 

Widow Skimmer, American Kestrel Female, and Pearl Crescent. 

 

I'll leave you with this image of Los Poblanos Open Space at its September best. 

"The world will always be beautiful to those who look for beauty . . . Tears will always spring up at the wood thrush singing through the echoing trees, at the wild geese crying as they fly. A soul touched by the scent of turned soil or sun-warmed grass . . . will spend a lifetime surrounded by wonder even as songbirds drop one by one from the poisoned sky and crickets fall silent in the poisoned grass." 

Margaret Renkl-The Comfort of Crows 

 

  

August 2025: All About the Water

August in New Mexico is a time of sunflowers, both wild and cultivated. They have arrived on schedule, though it appears to me not as many as in previous years. It makes sense to me that this would be related to the minimal rain we have experienced, along with other factors  that have led to the drying out of the Rio Grande. 

Death and Life on the Rio Grande

On Aug 13, I walked to the river. It's been running dry since July. I'd found myself avoiding it in emotional self-protection. I decided I needed to see for myself what the current conditions there. As far as I could see, there was no running water. Parts were muddy, but much was completely dried out. A friend reported that she had been able to walk bank to bank without getting her shoes muddy.

The river has always ebbed and flowed. Yet the frequency with which the river dries up has  increased. The limited snowmelt from Colorado has led to much less available water. The Rio Grande is a managed river, and with the 1938 Rio Grande Compact determining how much of this flow is owed to Texas and to varied human uses, the river itself gets short shrift when available water is limited.

On the day of my visit, there were large numbers of Turkey Vultures, kettling in the air, gathering in "committees" in the Cottonwoods. This generally happens as they gather for their southward migration. 

  

Walking along a trail near the river, I noticed the odor of dead fsh and other aquatic creatures. So sad, and yet--Coming to a clearing by the river, I saw about two dozen Turkey vultures out on the the mud flat. I surmised that they were out feasting on the perished: Recycling death back into life. This is what Turkey Vultures and other carrion-eaters do. Observing this cycle of life lifted my spirits. Sad for the fish, sad for the river, concerned for the future, but nature does have a way of working with what it is given. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cienega Picnic Ground 

Two days later, I visited Cienega Picnic Ground. The fields of Coneflowers by the nature trail were in full bloom, as expected in August. Insects buzzed around the blooms for the nectar. . Insect-seeking birds including warblers and flycatchers followed.

The Coneflowers attracted both Broad-Tailed and Rufous Hummingbirds. This Rufous Hummingbird (either a female or first year male) stood guard over one patch of flowers, chasing away all comers.

The severe drought and lack of water has impacted the mountains as well as the valley. The picnic ground stream is human-managed, providing a little oasis. Up near the pump providing the water, a variety of birds gathered to drink from the shallow waters, including a Black-Throated Gray Warbler. Disclaimers on the sketch: I don't know how to draw shallow water, so you'll just have to imagine that is water under the bird's feet. (And to the people for whom accuracy of bird rendering is important, including myself, I must apologize for messing up the wing detail so badly!)

Shining River--Water Returning

On August 26, I went to the part of the Rio Grande Bosque south of Paseo, the Shining River Trail. A friend who does a raptor nesting survey.there reported on her recent visit.Though the river there was mostly dry, shallow pools just south of Paseo were drawing a variety of shorebirds. We'd had a good rain since then, and I wanted to see what effect, if any, it had on the river. I also hoped to see some of those shorebirds. 

 

The rain had most definitely had an effect. A shallow river now ran at least a mile south of Paseo. (This was most likely not so much from rain we got in Albuquerque, as it was on rain north of Cochiti reservoir that allowed for enough water to feed the river.) Though I didn't find the variety of shorebirds that my friend had on Sunday, a number of Killdeer and half a dozen Snowy Egrets were making use of the shallow water to forage. Another example of nature making good use of what is given, as shallow water provides birds with better foraging opportunities. 

 We had another good rain that next day, and water is running all along the river in Albuquerque.These photos of the river are from the Tingley Bosque, several miles south of the Shining River trail, on August 30th. You can see how shallow the water is. I will hope for a continued return of the water as we move into the fall, and a recovery of aquatic life. 

Blue Grosbeak juvenile male, Tingley Open Space

Bird Survey-August Gallery

The severe drought provides tough challenges that impact bird populations. But bird life still goes on. August is the beginning of fall migration, and several interesting migrants passed through the Candelaria Nature Preserve (CNP) this month. In the past two weeks, these three species we observed were recorded for the first time at the CNP. 

The preserve was full of conspicuous young hawks (Cooper's Hawk and Swainson's Hawk)  born this summer, still learning how to be raptors. That's no easy task, and I wish them well. The Cooper's Hawk will be here all year. The Swainson's Hawk will soon be making their first trip south to Argentina.