Southwest NM Birding Trail Site: 06 to 09:
Hachita, Animas, Rodeo
Site 6 - NM 9 Between Hatchita and Animas
Private property. Bird from the public road only.
Food and gasoline are available in both Hachita and Animas, but not between the two towns.
At an elevation of about 6,000 feet, NM 9 crosses the Continental Divide at one of its lowest points. NM 9 is a paved road with very light traffic. Watch for Burrowing Owls, Prairie Falcons, Short-eared Owls (rare winter), and Lesser and Common Night-hawks (summer) along the road. White-tailed Kite is rare.
Habitat: Semidesert grassland, Chihuahuan desert scrub, and agricultural farmland.
Directions: From Lordsburg, drive east on I-10, exiting at Exit 49. Drive south on NM 146 to the village of Hachita. Turn on to NM 9 going toward the village of Animas. At Animas, you may go north on NM 338 back to I-10 or south toward Clanton Canyon.
Site 7
NM 338 South of Animas
Private property. Bird from the public road only.
Gasoline, tire shop, hardware store, and food available in Animas, but south of town there are no services.
At an elevation of about 5,000 feet, NM 338 is paved until about mile marker 42, where it becomes a good gravel road. Near mile marker 38, 14 miles south of Animas, Botteri's Sparrows have been found in the grass on the east side of the road. Look for this species in July or early August, after the summer monsoons begin. Lesser and Common Nighthawks are also summer birds. Park and walk the road in the morning, listening for the bird's song. Do not use tapes to lure these sparrows. A scope is useful for spotting them atop the shrubs. Cassin's and Grasshopper Sparrows may be found in the same spot.
In winter, the roadsides also can produce Ferruginous and Rough-legged Hawks; Western Meadowlarks, and Merlin and Prairie Falcon. In milder weather, Bendire's, Curve-billed and Crissal Thrashers, and Swainson's Hawks may be spotted. Common and Chihuahuan Ravens are year-round.
Habitat: Flora is semidesert grassland, with some desert shrubs, and giant sacaton floodplain. A cottonwood riparian corridor crosses the road just south of mile marker 38.
Directions: Go 10 miles west of Lordsburg on I-10 to Exit 11 (NM 338.) Drive south through the small towns of Cotton City and Animas, continuing south through the Animas Valley.
Site 8 - Clanton Canyon
Coronado National Forest (520) 364-3468
Services: Primitive camping with no potable water on site. Nearest services are in Animas (about an hour's drive north and east) and in Douglas, AZ (about 1.5 hours' drive west).
Clanton Canyon is located in the Peloncillo Mountains, Coronado National Forest, in the bootheel of Southwestern New Mexico.
During summer, Band-tailed Pigeon; Common Poorwill; Whip-poor-will; Elf Owl; Dusky-capped Flycatcher; Phainopepla; Grace's and Black-throated Gray Warblers; Hepatic Tanager; and Scott's Oriole are present. Year round residents include: Montezuma Quail; Whiskered, Western Screech, and Northern Pygmy Owls; Arizona and Acorn Woodpecker; Juniper and Bridled Titmouse; Bushtit; Mutton's and Spotted Vireo; Zone-tailed Hawk; and Canyon Towhee.
Habitat: Low mountains with pine-oak. Pinyon-juniper, oak woodland and sparse Apache pine at higher levels.
Directions: Take Interstate 10 Exit 11 (NM 338) 10 miles west of Lordsburg. Drive south through the town of Animas and continue south to mile marker 53 (about 30 miles south of Animas.) Fork to the right on Geronimo Trail. After 7.0 miles you cross a cattle guard and a sign indicating the entrance to the National Forest.
Warning: Carry plenty of food and water when traveling this area, have a full tank of gas, and a good spare tire and jack. It's a long walk out and you're out of cellular phone range in most of the area.
Site 9 - State Line Road near Rodeo
Private property. Bird from the public road only.
Services: Gasoline, food, laundry and RV park available in nearby Rodeo.
State Line Road, with an approximate elevation of 4,100 feet, is a good dirt road under dry conditions. However, it becomes very slippery after heavy rain. White-tailed Kites have nested near Rodeo, and Bendire's Thrasher is easy to spot along the road in spring and summer. Cactus Wren and often Cassin's Sparrow are also easy to find here. North of Rodeo on NM 80, Harris's Hawk is a possibility on tall poles and in dead trees. New Mexico's only documented Black Vulture was photographed here in 1996.
Habitat: Semidesert grassland, desert scrub, and agricultural lands.
Directions: Rodeo, a small village on the New Mexico/Arizona border distinguished by having several art galleries, lies 30 miles south of I-10. The town is reached by driving west from Lordsburg on I-10 Exit 5.
