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Wednesday, January 5 - We started the morning with three cute Burrowing Owls huddled together to get warm in the early sun. Like us! All day we stopped at different parks and lakes around El Paso, including Barry's wonderful backyard filled with bird feeders, native plants, and water features. We've seen some good birds: Greater Roadrunners, Pacific Loon, Hooded Orioles, and a Black-chinned Hummingbird that should not be here right now.
Late afternoon we headed north crossing into New Mexico. We passed a huge pistachio grove on our way to Las Cruces.
Thursday, January 6 - Today was a beautiful clear day spent in the Organ Mountains. Mountain ranges surround the desert bordering White Sands National Park and missile range. It starts out cold in the morning (30s), but by mid-morning the temperature climbs. This week has been spectacular weather with highs near 70.
Cute Gambel's Quails ran through neighborhood yards in the early morning. As we climbed in elevation, we consistently saw different sparrows and towhees: Sagebrush Sparrows and stunning Black-throated Sparrows flitted through sagebrush, Green-tailed and Spotted Towhees hopped through creosote bush and juniper trees, their gray and green bodies blending perfectly into the vegetation.
Barry prepared quite a spread for our picnic lunch, including fresh fruit salad and homemade pies. Eventually we made our way to the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Museum where two Great Horned Owls have chosen to roost in the rafters above the entrance. They stared down at us but seemed unperturbed. How many people walk into the museum and never notice them?
Dinner was in a century-old adobe building in historic La Mesilla. It used to be the capital of New Mexico and saw the likes of Pancho Villa and Billy the Kid.
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