Birds Page 6

Mountain Chickadee, Parus gambeli

13 - 15 cm. Mountain Chickadees have a black cap and bib with white cheeks and grey sides. It is the only chickadee with a white eye stripe. They are small large-headed birds that often hang upside down to pluck small insects from conifer needles. It's a fearless, inquisitive, and constantly active insect forager. Its call is a hoarse chick-a-zee-zee. It lays 7-9 white, sometimes spotted eggs in a hair- or fur-lined natural cavity or woodpecker hole. It lives in high altitude coniferous forests, but descends to lowlands in the winter. It prefers hanging, even wobbly feeders or platform and window feeders. It is attracted by oil sunflower seeds, suet, and peanut butter.

Resident in New Mexico throughout the montane coniferous forests. They will visit bird feeders.

Canyon Wren

Hyperactive wren seen scurrying around the rocks, fairly common along the Falls trail in Bandelier. It doesn't seem to visit the water garden or the feeders.

Western Bluebird

Common in Los Alamos in the winter and spring. Groups have been observed in various locations around town such as the Barranca school fields. The water garden and berries are the primary attraction for the bluebirds. Nesting boxes provide a great opportunity to watch these birds raise their young.

Mountain Bluebird

Fairly common in the Los Alamos area, but quite common in the summer at the Valle Grande. Nesting boxes provide a great opportunity to watch these birds raise their young. Plants with berries as well as water attract the bluebirds.

Cassin's Finch

Common in spring and fall but uncommon in summer. They will visit bird feeders.

House Finch

Common year round and will visit bird feeders in large numbers.

Pygmy Nuthatch, Sitta pygmaea

10 - 11 cm. The Pygmy Nuthatch is bluish gray above with a gray-brown cap terminated by an indistinct black eye line; faint white smudge at base of nape; creamy white below. They usually occur in flocks and live in ponderosa pine forests with an undergrowth of bunch grass. Their name comes from "nut-hack", based on their habit of sticking seed in bark and hacking it with their bill. Nuthatches have sharp claws for hopping upside down and nabbing insects overlooked by other birds. It lays 5-9 white eggs, with reddish-brown speckles, in a nest about 12 - 25 feet from the ground and made of a quantity of soft material, often vegetable down, amassed in the cavity of a dead pine. Easily attracted by sunflower seeds, nuts and suet. Offer it a bark covered house 4x4x10" placed high on tree trunk. It's center hole should be 1 1/4"in diameter and 7 1/2 " above the floor.

Very common throughout Los Alamos. They will visit suet feeders in large numbers.

White-breasted Nuthatch

Very common throughout Los Alamos. They will visit suet feeders and are often seen scaling trees acrobatically.

Rufous-crowned Sparrow

A long-tailed skulker of rocky, brushy hillsides and canyons.

Pinesiskin

Act just like goldfinches but without the bright colors. Also can be seen year round and will spend all day at the thistle feeder.

American Goldfinch (rare)

Not nearly as common as the lesser goldfinch in this area. However, it can be seen year-round, unlike the lesser goldfinch, which is only a summer visitor. In the summer, the male is bright yellow and black. They can be quite plain in the winter.