Nichols Reservoir - Canyon Rd., Santa Fe, NM
September 23, 2023; 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Co-Led by: Julie Hasty, Santa Fe Watershed Association
Co-Led by: Alan Hook, City of Santa Fe
Co-facilitator: Meghan Baker, Randel Davey Audobon Center
Co-facilitator: Julian Hardage-Vergeer, Santa Fe Botanical Garden
Co-facilitator: Nav Khalsa, Santa Fe County

Overview
This lab marked the second field trip for the 2023 Northern New Mexico Master Naturalist Program cohort. The goal of the lab was to develop an understanding and appreciation for the function, ecology, management, and history of the Santa Fe River and watershed. The field trip took place along the Canyon Rd. access to the Nichols Reservoir via the Randall Davey Audubon Center. The start time for the lab was approximately 9:00 AM and concluded at 1:30 PM. A checklist of 24 bird species was compiled during the walk with a supplemental ebird list linked below. The weather was mild throughout the hike with clear skies transitioning to partly cloudy and eventually overcast.

eBird checklist: here

Checklist species included:

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus)
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum)
Turkey Vulture (SCathartes aura)
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
Red-naped Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus nuchalis)
Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus)
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)
Hairy Woodpecker (Dryobates villosus)
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)
Pinyon Jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus)
Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)
Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma woodhouseii)
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
Mountain Chickadee (Poecile gambeli)
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)
Pygmy Nuthatch (Sitta pygmaea)
Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana)
Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus)
Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria)
Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)
Clark's Nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana)

The birds listed above were documented from the start of the watershed field trip at the Randal Davey Audubon Center parking lot. A variety of plants, insects, and plant pathologies were also observed during the presentation walk. These were photographed in situ and identified utilizing the iNaturalist ID AI, gallformers.org (an online resource with reference to the host plant species), or by the Author's knowledge. All uploaded observations are attached to this journal entry.

Posted on September 23, 2023 10:30 PM by mjwcarr