On the Lookout Sunday, June 1, 2008 by Tania Soussan • Journal Santa Fe Bring your binoculars for great birding and wildlife viewing From bighorn sheep to pinyon jays and elk to osprey, there are plenty of opportunities to view wildlife in northern New Mexico — especially if you’re willing to do a little hiking. The region has lakes, rivers, grasslands and high-elevation mountains that offer habitat for a wide variety of species. It’s possible to see birds and other animals from places as easily accessible as the Randall Davey Audubon Center a short drive from downtown Santa Fe. But to see the really unusual critters often takes a bit more effort, says Oscar Simpson, conservation and policy chairman for the New Mexico Wildlife Federation. “You’ve got to go to areas where there’s not a lot of people,” he says. “You’re kind of going to have to walk off the beaten path.” Or, if you aren’t the rugged backpacking type, try a horseback tour, llama trek or rafting trip with one of the many companies that offer unique ways to experience the area. Here’s a rundown of some of the best bets for birding and wildlife viewing in northern New Mexico from local experts. Santa Fe Canyon Preserve/Randall Davey Audubon Center Adjacent to each other at the upper end of Canyon Road, these two areas are havens for birds, especially migrants on the way to their summer homes. “The preserve has the advantage of having some surface water, so there’s going to be some redwinged blackbirds and some waterfowl,” says Bob Findling, director of conservation programs for the Nature Conservancy in New Mexico, which operates the preserve. The Audubon center offers 8:30 a.m. bird walks every Saturday and is a great place to see four or five species of hummingbirds at the feeders, as well as many other birds, says Tom Taylor, president of the Sangre de Cristo Audubon Society. Santa Fe Ski Basin High-elevation and treeline species such as pine grosbeak, gray jay, American three-toed woodpecker, northern goshawk, dusky grouse and red crossbill can be found at sites along the road that winds up into the mountains not far from downtown Santa Fe. “Those are species that tend to interest people and they’re found up there fairly often,” says Chris Rustay, an experienced birder who works with the Playa Lakes Joint Venture. Jemez Mountains The Valles Caldera National Preserve, an 89,000-acre former ranch that sits in a collapsed crater in the volcanic Jemez Mountains near Los Alamos, is home to elk, deer, prairie dogs, coyotes and bears. A breeding pair of golden eagles seen along Jaramillo Creek is among nearly 60 species of birds found on the preserve. Access is limited to two short hiking trails or reserved hikes, hunts, fishing trips and other adventures. Nearby Bandelier National Monument is another good bet for birders, Taylor says. “You’ll find the warblers, hepatic tanager, summer tanager and mountain birds,” he says. “It’s really quite good.” Heron Lake The Chama area has become home to 17 pairs of ospreys, and Heron Lake State Park will celebrate the magnificent birds with an Osprey Festival on July 12. Four to five viewing stations with spotting scopes will offer visitors a chance to watch young birds in a nest, hopping and flapping their wings as they get ready to fledge, and maybe even adults diving for fish. “That’s the whole point of the festival — getting to see the ospreys as they’re about to start their lives,” says park ranger Siscily Lederman. The 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. festival also offers exhibits and guided boat tours. The park also is home to lots of California gulls. “That’s kind of special,” Rustay says. Edward Sargent Wildlife Management Area This lush basin also near Chama offers chances to see elk, mule deer, coyote, porcupine and black bears and also is “spectacular” for birds, Rustay says. Summer species include American kestrel, mountain bluebird, brown creeper, Clark’s nutcracker, warbling vireo and northern shrike. Valle Vidal A true gem of the region, this unit of the Carson National Forest between Costilla and Cimarron offers stunning scenery and reliable elk viewing. You also can see buffalo calving in May near the McCrystal Creek campground, bears around the Cimarron campground and mule deer, raptors, turkey and blue grouse. Simpson recommends getting up early or heading out in the evening to hike 1½ miles or so along the trail from the parking lot at the junction of Comanche and Gold creeks to see 100 to 300 elk at a time. Cruces Basin Wilderness On the Carson National Forest just south of the Colorado border between Tres Piedras and Tierra Amarilla, this area is a good choice for spotting elk, mule deer, pronghorn, black bears, grouse, turkey and beaver and for doing a little fishing, say Simpson and Marty Frentzel, spokesman for the New Mexico Game and Fish Department. Simpson recommends taking the Corral Tank Trail into the valley. Follow signs from Forest Road 87 from San Antonio Mountain. Sugarite Canyon State Park This park northeast of Raton offers easy access to one reservoir lake and short hikes to two others. Abert’s squirrel and wild turkey are seen year-round. It’s also a good spot for bear, mule deer and elk, Frentzel says. Cimarron Canyon This area, including a state park, near Eagle Nest, is a good place to look for red-naped sapsuckers and other high-elevation riparian birds. The Eagle Nest and Black Lake valleys also have potential for breeding ducks, Rustay says. “They’re nice areas,” he says. “You can bird from the road, and birding from the road is not necessarily as bad as it may sound.” Pecos Wilderness This high-mountain wilderness offers miles of hiking trails and good chances of seeing mule deer, yellow-bellied marmot, pika, blue grouse, Abert’s squirrel and other species. Bighorn sheep are seen near Pecos Baldy, Jose Vigil and Truchas Lakes. White-tailed ptarmigan can be seen at Jicarita Peak, Truchas Lakes and Chimayosas Peak after mid-June, according to the “New Mexico Wildlife Viewing Guide” by Jane Susan MacCarter. Orilla Verde Recreation Area Another place you can spot birds from the road is this stretch along the Rio Grande Gorge near Española. “That whole area’s good for birds all summer,” Taylor says. “With a lot of luck, you might see peregrine falcons.” Wheeler Peak Wilderness A day hike to Wheeler Peak — at 13,161 feet, the highest point in New Mexico — is probably your best bet for spotting Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. The rugged wilderness area near Taos also is home to marmots, pikas, elk, mule deer and golden eagles. Las Vegas and Maxwell national wildlife refuges and McAllister Lake All are good spring or late summer birding spots along Interstate 25 between Santa Fe and Raton. Visitors can see grassland and water-dependent birds, as well as warblers. American white pelicans, nesting eared grebes, burrowing owls and black-tailed prairie dogs are seen at Maxwell.