November 2025: This, That, and the Other

 

November is the New October

A month after autumn's usual arrival, the golden fall leaves arrived in all their glory. Their color lasted well into the month.. This is a story to show not tell, so:

Burn Area in the South Valley Bosque-November 7

 

 

 

 

 

Tingley Bosque November 23: Still Glowing Golden 

  

River Update 

In early November, there was another influx of water on the Rio Grande. As before, with this influx, there was also an DOC (dissolved organic compounds) on the river. I'm beginning to make an association between DOC and an influx of rainwater, possibly from the north. Or there could be another explanation that I don't know about. Water levels have seemed more stable this month, and at the end of the month, the river was still running fairly high. Perhaps this is due to less water going out for irrigation in November. 

 

 Pigeon Update 

Early in November, one of my bird survey cohorts found a vagrant Eurasian Wigeon associating with American Wigeons in the main pond at the Albuquerque zoo. A few show up here every winter. I didn't find the rare Wigeon, but found something that made me just as happy. Up on the "cliffs" of the Asian Elephant Exhibit, a flock of pigeons seemed to be remembering their ancestral cliff habitat. Among them was a beautiful example of a Red base color Rock Pigeon, one of the plumage varieties that I missed in my October Pigeon watching. 

If you haven't seen this episode of Nature on PBS, I highly recommend it: The Pigeon Hustle.

 

Here's a pigeon hustle I've never observed before: A flock of Rock Pigeons at the Tingley fishing ponds eating berries on a New Mexico Olive.

 

 Dipping on the Dipper

Early in the month, an American Dipper showed up at the waterfall in the Albuquerque Biopark Japanese Gardens. The Dipper is a bird of mountain streams, so when one shows up in Albuquerque in late fall or winter, it is always by a source of rushing water, and is always a treat. 

The morning I went out to the Biopark in hopes of seeing this delightful bobbing bird, the American dipper was nowhere to be found. It was found that morning by one of our local intrepid rare bird finders: Now at an outfall on the Clear Ditch just west of the Biopark.

The American Dipper stayed in this area for about a week, and many seekers got to see her bobbing on the edge of the outfall. I've sorry to say I'm not one of them. I hate to admit how many times I walked out that way without finding her (It seemed as good a November quest as any). Though I wanted my story to end in success, I'm telling it anyway, because these experiences are as much a part of birding as the successes. Here are some videos I took of another American Dipper that visited Albuquerque 3 years ago, several miles further north on the same ditch. 

 

Montane Irruptions?

Speaking of mountain species in Albuquerque, the Brown Creeper is a bird that breeds in the Sandias and occasionally shows up in the valley in non-breeding season. This year is a banner year for them in the Rio Grande Valley. SInce mid-October I've been hearing and occasionally seeing them almost every time I go out. Not sure if this would be considered a Montane irruption or not, which is when birds from higher elevations show up in high number in the lowlands, usually due to changes in food supply. 

(Full disclosure: I haven't managed to get any photos of a Brown Creeper this month, so this is a photo from a few years back in the South Valley Bosque.) 

Woodhouse's Scrub-Jays have also been in the Valley this month in higher than usual concentrations. They are birds of the foothills, a slightly higher elevation than the Rio Grande Valley.

Wild Kingdom at the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge

At the end of the month, I did an overnight trip to the Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge, about 90 miles south of Albuquerque. Having recently heard yet another dismaying report on the decrease in bird populations, the Bosque del Apache is a good antidote. The overall numbers seem to be down there, too: Still, it is a place where one can expect to see an abundance of birds, for now at least. Future Drought and NM Migratory Patterns. The Vermilion Flycatcher and Loggerhead Shrike pictured below were my favorite birds of the trip--both seen at close range walking along the edge of the Wetland Roost on Highway 1.

Here's my "Wild Kingdom" story. I was at the Flight Deck-photographing the thousands of Snow Geese gathered in the shallow water. I had just taken this photograph. when some of the Geese took flight as one, returning shortly after to the water. 

Knowing this is often a sign of a predator nearby, I scanned the flocked geese. There she was--a coyote entering the shallow waters at the edge of the flock. Suddenly, she ran right into the middle of the gathering, as geese took to the air in waves. The coyote turned around and ran back of the water, carrying a goose in her mouth. No stealth was needed to succeed in her hunt: It was just a matter of picking off one of the slowest birds. No photos, as I was too astonished to even think about my camera.

Here's another Wild Kingdom story. I watched as a 1st year Northern Harrier flew into the geese gathered at the water's edge, landing without a single flare of alarm from the geese. I figure that the geese know they are too large to be prey for this raptor. After sitting a few minutes, the Harrier flew into the shallow water and landed in the midst of a ring of white feathers. The Harrier appeared to be feeding on something there, most likely from the remains of a Snow Goose that had been killed by a predator. So this is what had drawn the Harrier to the Snow Geese--though too large to hunt, the carrion was just right. 

Wildness meets civilization: A herd of Javelina cross a road with humans approaching from either side. 

 Bye til next month. If you want some more bird photos, check out my album of November birds on Flickr. November 2025 Birds

   

October25: Welcoming Fall Changes

  

Not so long ago, the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta (starting the first weekend of October) was reliably accompanied by the height of brilliant fall color. The past few years the cottonwoods haven't even begun to turn by fiesta. Thank goodness, the gold arrived before the month ended.  Along with fall color and the scent of chile roasting, I also associate October with the return of many bird species who spend their winters here. I'll be featuring some of them in this post.

But, before we go there, a diversion: To a much-ignored and non-native bird that shares our city all year long. 

Early in the month, I read a book called The Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching, written and illustrated by Rosemary Mosco. Inspired by this book, I spent some time observing feral Rock Pigeons, trying to find the varied plumages and features described in her book. I report on this in detail in a 2nd post that immediately follows this one. You can check it out here.

Waterfowl 

In October, many of the ducks and other waterfowl that winter in the Albuquerque area start to arrive. The photos below are from the ponds and Tingley and the Rio Grande Nature Center. Their numbers are still small, and I don't remember whether or not that is typical for October. Here are some of the waterfowl I was able to photograph.

Redhead Male-Nature Center

Gadwall Males-Nature Center

RIng-Necked Ducks, 1) two males, 2) male/female pair-Tingley

American Wigeon, 1) female, 2) male-Tingley

  

 

Cackling Goose: A separate species from the Canada Geese, with smaller rounder heads and a round bill. They have just started the trickle in in small numbers. The Canada Geese (2nd photo) have been here in small numbers all summer, but large flocks come down from the north for the winter, a process that has already begun. 

 

 

Pied-Billed Grebe and American Coot: These two waterbirds, according Sibley's maps, are found throughout New Mexico all year. But they don't seem to breed in the Albuquerque area. So they too, I consider to be fall returnees. 1st photo is of a Pied-Billed Grebe. 2nd photo is an American Coot, which I just had to post because you so seldom get to see their amazing feet. 

 

 

Valles Caldera

Mid-October I joined a friend for a day trip to Valles Caldera. Would you believe that I forgot my camara? So I didn't get to photograph the abundant and beautiful Mountain Bluebirds there. The Aspen were past-peak, but still gorgeous, and I was able to get some landscape photos with my phone. 

Elena Gallegos

I went to Elena Gallegos Open Space on October 20th after I saw my photos from this date two years ago, showing  the nature blind area brimming with birds, and the trees bright gold. I wanted to see how this year compared. The deciduous trees were at their peak of color, as I'd hoped. There wasn't much bird activity at the blind this time, but I was happy to see Western Bluebirds everywhere on the grounds, along with a few Townsend's Solitaires. Both of these birds are in the Thrush family, and you can see the similarity in their shape. 

 1) Western Bluebird pair 2) Townsend's Solitaire 3) Dark-Eyed Junco, Pink-SIded 

The Pink-Sided subspecies of Dark-Eyed Junco is another returning winter bird. The Grey-Headed subspecies of Dark-Eyed Junco is here in the higher elevations during breeding season. 

 

More Winter Returnees: A Big Welcome Back to:

1) Cedar Waxwings  2) White- Crowned Sparrow 3) Hermit Thrush 

 

The Hermit Thrush is being shown to participants on the Rio Grande Nature Center bird walk at the banding station, just before being released. Hermit Thrushes breed in the Sandias and are in the Rio Grande Valley only during winter.

The Stars of the Winter Show

Of course, the biggest welcome has to go to the Sandhill Cranes, The first calls of the Sandhill Cranes flying overhead makes our hearts soar every autumn, without fail. 

 

 

Pigeon Watching

Early in October I read A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching, written and illustrated by Rosemary Mosco.. Along with interesting information about Pigeon natural history and behavior is also information about various plumages and patterns we might see in the Rock Pigeons that share our urban spaces. Many of these variations have arisen from their long history as domestic birds, bred for varied and sometimes unusual traits. I was intrigued, and decided to take up her challenge to see if I could "spot them all." This is the basically the Pikachu-like birding challenge that birders take on when we list and try to "see all the birds," applied to a bird that tends to get little attention.

For my Pigeon watching foray, I headed to the northmost fishing pond at Tingley. Though I see them flocks of Rock Pigeons there all the time, it was different to be actually focusing my attention on them. I found it as enjoyable to watch their varied behaviors as any other bird. I was surprised to see how many of the plumage variations discussed in the book at I was able to see in one visit. 

Base Colors 

Blue The most common Rock Pigeon we will see looks much like the wild Rock Pigeons that once inhabited rocky cliffs in Africa, Europe, and Asia. They were well represented in the flock at Tingley  The base color is blue, with blue-gray wings, and a gray-black band. 

Brown In addition to the basic blue, the other two base colors Mosco describes are Ash-Red and Brown. Brown is the rarest body color. Mosco writes "If you see a brown pigeon, consider yourself blessed by the pigeon gods." I guess I am blessed, because I found a fine example of a gray-brown pigeon with chocolate markings. 

Ash-Red  I did not find the Ash-Red variation this month, unless I count the two that I spotted on a Netflix program filmed in Boston. I believe I have seen them before. The Ash-Red coloration is genetically dominant to the Blue base color, yet there are far fewer Ash-Red than Blue. This is something I don't quite understand, but I can't say I have a solid understanding of genetics.

 Plumage Variation: Spread

Another genetic variation is called spread. With spread color plumage, the bird is covered in one color, whether ash-red, blue, or brown (The three base colors.) On this visit, I  encountered one example: A spread blue. 

Plumage Variation: Dilute

A dilute pigeon looks like a regular pigeon with washed-out colors and patterns. I'm fairly certain the pigeon below is a dilute blue. The head looks lighter than other blues I photographed,

Plumage Variation: Piebald

Many of the pigeons I saw fit this variation, with splotches of white color erasing patches of their basic body color. The genetics of this plumage variation are complicated and arise from many possible mutations. 

 

 Wing-Pattern Variations: Bar, Barless, Checkered, T-Square

The barred wing-pattern is the most common and the most like the original wild Rock Pigeon wing pattern. I've shown several examples of this. 

Barless

A barless wing is completely plain, with no bards or checks. I thought I'd found an example in this photo below, but I'm not completely sure: The bars were just hidden in this resting position.  I'm posting anyway, because I think he's beautiful. Male pigeons are slightly larger than females, and tend to puff out their crops more. I thought this one was male.

Checkered Wing Pattern

A checkered wing is covered wtih distinct dark speckles. I saw several examples of this, and a lot of variation in how much speckling there was. Below are examples of a speckled blue and a speckled brown. (Though the brown one looks a little mixed, in that the head is blue-gray. I thought she looked tie-died.)

T-Check Pattern

A T-check wing is heavily marked with dark pigment, with small T-shaped lighter areas at the tip of the feathers. This one was completely new to me, and I thought that I hadn't found one, until I studied this photo more more closely. 

 

Then when I further studied this dilute blue that I originally thought was bandless, I discovered this beauty also sporting a t-check pattern.

For reasons not well-understood, pigeons with either a T-check or checkered pattern do better in urban environments than those with a bar pattern. There were quite a few with checks, not so many with T-checks, at Tingley on this visit. 

Calico??! Some of the Pigeons I saw didn't fit neatly into any of the categories described in Mosco's book, which doesn't purport to be a complete listing of the myriad plumage possibilities. A couple of birds sported a patchwork of grey, white and red, along with piebald and checkered markings.The term  that came to mind for me was "Calico." 

 

Still Seeking:

Recessive Red: This is a darker, all-red Pigeon that comes from a single recessive gene. Because it requires alleles of the red gene to express itself, it might be considered a rarity among pigeons. 

Recessive White: Unlike the Recessive Red, you are much more likely to see a Recessive White from time to time. This is because pigeons are still bred for this trait, for release at events like weddings. (Don't do it!) We did in fact have a white pigeon flyover early in October during our weekly bird survey at the Nature Center. Many white pigeons that we see were likely bred and released at an event. Some, however, may be feral pigeons that happen to carry two alleles for the recessive white plumage. 

Other Odd Traits to Look For

Some traits from purebred show pigeons (of which there is quite a variety) can pop up in feral populations from time to time. These include a head crest, feathered feet, larger eye rings, multi-hued toenails, and fancy eye colors. I haven't seen any of these, but I'll keep looking. You keep your eyes out too, and maybe you'll be lucky enough to see this evidence of the feral pigeon's showbird past. 

(Apologies for my hastily sketched imitations of Mosco's fine cartoon drawings) 

Rosemary Mosco's book reads from a standpoint of using feral Pigeon observation as a jumping-off point for learning about birds. Having enjoyed my closer observations of pigeons this month, I can see how this could be. It is often recommended to begin the bird-learning journey by observing the most familiar and readily observable birds. For a person living in a large city, or near an urban center, the feral Rock Pigeon may well be a good candidate.