JAN 3, 2020 - FW TO ALBUQUERQUE NEW MEXICO


Fort Worth to Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Friday January 3, 2020
This morning it was an early meet-up with the Fort Worth Audubon Society birding outing to New Mexico.  For me, this trip was totally a last minute thing.  One of my FW Audubon friends told me that there was one spot open when I met up with her on an local Audubon outing.  So I felt it was just waiting for me to take it.  I would join the group.  This morning, we got organized with the cars and we started the drive northwest to New Mexico.  The objective was to make it for Happy Hour at the inn in Albuquerque by 5 pm.  We had a sunny day for the drive, once the sun came out.  It took about 6 hours to drive out of Texas.  Texas is really huge, similar to Ontario.  One we crossed the state line, the scenery changed dramatically.  We could see a snow-capped mountain range.  Huge brush valleys and buttes in the distance.   We saw many Northern Harriers, male and female on the drive.  There were also Red tailed Hawks.  We also kept an eye for Ferruginous Hawks and Rough legged Hawks.  We think we may have seen a Ferruginous Hawk but one can’t just stop to bird watch on an interstate so a longer look at a bird was just not possible.  We did have Eurasian collared Dove at a truck stop.  That was new for me for this Texas stay. 
But tomorrow we bird and each of us are looking forward to tomorrow.  At Happy Hour, we went around in the group and each of us talked about the bird that really got us started in birding.   For myself it was the time I first noticed the Pileated Woodpecker.  Such a large bird with striking markings.  I was entranced.
It has been a long day and so time for bed.  I wonder what birds we will see tomorrow.

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