Terry & Diana's Photography and More

HOME - OUR PROPERTY - FAMILY - SCENERY AND TRIPS - PLANTS - CACTUS - DRAGONFLIES & DAMSELFLIES - BUTTERFLIES -AMPHIBIANS - REPTILES - BIRDS - MAMMALS

 

New Mexico 2022

September 20

Diana and I left for Caprock Canyon State Park. We had a two night reservation for our first leg of our fall vacation, trying out our new conversion van. We arrived around 4:30 pm. Our camp site was number 6. Not much shade and room. It was green from recent rains but the lake was extremely low (at least 20 foot low). In 2016 google maps showed the lake full. After setting the van up for the night, I went walking along the dry creek below the dam then over to the lake. Not much was flying (odes) or anything else. Below are a few photos of what I observed. It started off warm in the van but cooled down after midnight.

Free ranging American Bison. They are throughout the park.

Scenery from Caprock Canyon State Park

Scenery from Caprock Canyon State Park

Eight-spotted Tiger Beetle

Our camp site

Variegated Meadowhawk

Red Saddlebags

Powdered Dancer

Blue-fronted Dancer

Common Green Darner

September 21

I was up fairly early to take photos of the canyon west of the campground with sun at my back. As usual, I was taking photos of all kinds of plants, insects, etc. Diana and I found a pond just north of the campground that had water. Yea!! There were several species of odes that like to hang out around ponds. After taking photos of some of the odes, we drove over to Dry Creek Lake and found it very low as well. There were high concentrations of a few types of odes. Not many bird species. We searched more around the campgrounds. The American Bison are free ranging in the park. They even moved through our campground. A cool front moved through during the night. The temperature dropped into the 50's before morning.

More American Bison

American Bison in the campground

Gay Feather

Prairie Dog

Prairie Dog

Cricket Frog

Texas Spotted Whiptail

Chocolate Daisy

Common Green Darner

Side Oats Grama

Punctured Tiger Beetle

Orange Sulfur

Horse Crippler

Bee Hive Cactus

Plains Leopard Frog

Common Whitetail

Twelve-spotted Skimmer

September 22

We packed up and left. But before leaving the park, we drove to the back to see what it looked like. Lots of American Bison and great scenery. We then headed west. We decided on Conchas Lake State Park in New Mexico. There were very few people camping due to the lake ramps being closed because of the very low water levels. Nice campground with your choice of site. I walked down to the lake to see what Icould observe.

The back end of Cap Rock Canyon

Conchas Lake State Park

Conchas Lake State Park. You can see how far the water has gone down.

Canyon Towhee

Powdered Dancer

Thin-lined Tiger Beetle

Eight-spotted Tiger Beetle

New Mexican Lace Cactus

Our camp site at Conchas Lake State Park

Western Prairie Lizard

Variegated Meadowhawk

September 23

Before leaving and before Diana got up, I made a quick eBird list of the park area. Check my eBird list for details. After eating breakfast and getting gas, we then headed for Mills Canyon Rim Campground. We arrived at the campground around 2:30 - 3:00 pm. After picking a camp site, I headed over to the pond that had a good level of water and had several Blue-winged Teal. A few interesting odes were photographed.

Mills Canyon Rim campground

l

Mills Canyon Rim campground.

Say's Phoebe

Blue-winged Teal

Plains Forktail

Mexican Forktail

Plateau Spreadwing

Spotted Spreadwing

Black Saddlebags

Plains opuntia?

Bee Hive Cactus

Green-flowered Hedgehog Cactus

Claret Cup Cactus

Sun down from Mills Canyon Rim campground

September 24

I mostly bird watched today and took scenery photos. I located a pool of water on the creek a ways down the canyon near the road. It was easy getting to but the return hike back up the hill was not easy. There were a couple of Autumn Meadowhawks down there. Check the eBird list if you want to know what birds I observed. I have a few photos below. We decided to go on to Raton for the night. On the way we stopped at the Canadian River crossing west of Roy, then we checked out Wagon Mound salt lake (nothing was seen), and then a wildlife refuge near Maxwell. Water very low but there were lots of ducks, geese, Sandhill Crane out in the middle and the most Variegated Meadowhawks I have ever seen. We stopped for night at Motel 8 in Raton.

Looking down into Mills Canyon

Looking down into Mills Canyon

Looking down into Mills Canyon

Looking down the road into Mills Canyon

Canyon Wren

Casssin's Kingbird

Juniper Titmouse

Rock Wren

Plains Leopard Frog

Western Prairie Lizard

Autumn Meadowhawk

Canadian River crossing west of Roy

Plains Leopard Frog at Canadian River crossing west of Roy

Blue-fronted Dancer at Canadian River crossing west of Roy

September 25

We ate breakfast at our usual place, McDonalds, and then went to a church service in Trindad, Colorado. We like to visit congregations when on vacation. Ate lunch at Taco Bell and got gas before heading out to our next campground. We had reservations for two days at Sugarite Canyon State Park east of Raton. The campground is located near Alice Lake. I was interested in the creek that runs into the lake, but it was dry. There was some water running over the spillway. The lake was very difficult to get down to on the west side but okay on the east side. Not much in the way of birds or odes around the lake. Later in the afternoon it was fun watching the jays eating acorns. I did walk up the dry creek bed and observed a bear. He went his way and I went my way. I wasn't fast enough to get a photo. After dark it got cool fast. The extra sleeping bag came in handy. During the night, I had to step outside briefly and I heard a large cat making a loud noise like the screams of a cat in heat?? Most likely a Mountain Lion.

Alice Lake in Sugarite Canyon State Park

Sugarite Canyon State Park

Sugarite Canyon State Park campground

Road into Sugarite Canyon State Park

Spotted Towhee

White-crowned Sparrow

Woodhouse's Jay

Stellar's Jay

Western Prairie Lizard

Paddle-tailed Darner

Spotted Spreadwing

Striped Meadowhawk

September 26

It was a cold night, 40 degrees plus or minus. I birded alittle before it warmed up. Diana likes to sleep in. After breakfast, Diana and I hiked down the road to see what we could see. A few birds, chipmunks, rock squirrels, and deer. Below the lake, we crossed over to the trail that goes up to the lake and campground. It was a long and warm hike but we made it. I saw a few odes and birds along the way. We stayed around camp the rest of the day.

Hillside along the road south of the campground

Diana on the trail headed back up to Alice Lake and our camp site.

The trail on east side of Alice Lake on our way back to camp site.

Mule Deer

Rock Squirrel

One of the few flowers along the trail. Cone Flower?

Wilson's Warbler

Black-capped Chickadee

Mountain Chickadee

Plumbeous Vireo

American Bullfrog

Red-tailed Hawk

Striped Meadowhawk

Great Spreadwing

Townsend's Solitary

Spotted Spreadwing

Paddle-tailed Darner

Lewis's Woodpecker back at camp

September 27

We were up early and packed, ate breakfast on the road. I wanted to get some more scenery photos, so we drove up to Maloya Lake which is near the border of Colorado. Took several photos looking down the canyon. Also checked out Soda Pocket Campground for possible future trips. After leaving the park, we took NM 72 east of Folsom and on NM 456 to Kenton, OK. There were several miles of gravel road but the drive was very interesting. After checking out Black Mesa Natural area, we arrived at Black Mesa State Park. The electrial hook up spots were all in the open with no shade. The flies were pretty bad as well. The back end of the lake was below the camping spaces. I went down to check out what odes I could find. The water level, just like the other places, was very low.

Mule Deer in camp before we left.

Maloya Lake near the Colorado Border

Maloya Lake

Looking down the canyon from Soda Campground

Notice that there has been a fire in the past.

The upper edge of the canyon

Lewis's Woodpecker on the way of the park

Least Chipmunk

Black Mesa State Park

Black Mesa Lake at the state park

Campground at Black Mesa State Park

Plains Gartersnake

Flame Skimmer

Variegated Meadowhawk

Band-winged Meadowhawk

Autumn Meadowhawk

September 28

We decided to leave a day earlier than we had planned. Before leaving, I got up early and bird watched along a nature trail in the park. We also drove around the back side of the lake to check it out. Stopped briefly at a creek crossing to check out what was there. We then headed south toTexas. Stopped for the afternnoon and night at Marvin Military Road campground east of Canadian in Hemphill County. We were the only ones there. I searched all afternoon for photographic subjects. One of the neatest things was watching ribbon snake catch a frog and eat it. There were a series of beaver ponds on the creek thats runs into the creek. I need to get back to this area in the future in either May or early June.

Pronghorn

Cholla

Yellow-flowered Hedgehog

Opuntia. Which one?

Lake Marvin

Campground at Lake Marvin

Common Green Darner

Armadillo

Scutellaris Tiger Beetle

Tranquebarica Tige Beetle

Orange Bluet

Blue-faced Meadowhawk

Ribbon Snake eating a frog

September 29

As usual, I got up early to list the birds observed in the area. There were already some migrants flying. After driving around the lake, we ate breakfast in Canadian and then headed south. We stopped at Collinsworth County Pioneer park on one of the forks of the Red River. Usually a good place for odes, but not this time. We stopped at the cemetery in Wheeler to find my Lamberth grandparents' graves. We ate lunch in Aspermont and got gas in Buffalo Gap and headed for home. Go home around 8:15 pm. Over all a pretty good trip!

Blue-ringed Dancer

Punctered Tiger Beetle

American Rubyspot

Flame Skimmer