New Mexico’s Spring Migration Central Flyway encompasses areas such as Albuquerque, the Rio Grande Baroque forest, Santa Fe canyons, and riparian habitats, as well as Taos Canyons, Taos City parks, Adobe grasslands, arroyos, and high elevations, extending into the eastern High Plains to the Maxwell NWR, Pecos region: Southern Rocky Mountains and High Plains.

New Mexico is a spectacular state with astonishing ecological diversity—wet and dry habitats, wide-open blue sky, eastern plains, grasslands, mountain ranges exceeding 12,000 ft. elevation with wonderful Aspen forests, deep canyons, plus pine and juniper forests situated on the spine of the Continental Divide. Birding in New Mexico offers bird species found west of the Continental Divide– the Central Flyway, as well as bird species from east of the Continental Divide/Central Flyway, which contributes to an impressive birding experience. Post Spring migration through the Rocky Mountains will be underway. Birds will be on site in their northern nesting grounds. I will bring the latest field guides for you to use during the trip. Bring your camera to take advantage of the many photo opportunities this field trip will provide. I will bring a 60 Power Swarovski Scope for the trip to share. We don’t get dirty on this trip, but it’s a good idea to bring a fleece vest and a light rain cover.

Day by Day Itinerary

Arriving Sunday, June 7, 2026, in Albuquerque, you’ll have a room reserved at the Airport Best Western. You’ll join the rest of the group for a meet-and-greet dinner.

Monday, June 8, 2022: This is an early morning up and out after breakfast in the hotel by 7:30 AM to begin birding the riparian habitats along the Rio Grande River in Albuquerque to mid-morning. We then start our travel to high elevations, stopping for a picnic lunch on the east rim of Mount Sandia. After lunch, we make our way slowly up the mountain, stopping at our favorite birding spots. We’ll bird the summit at 10,000 ft elevation, hoping to find Rosy Finches and the Red-backed Junco. In the late afternoon, we take a scenic drive to Santa Fe, where our lodging is the Best Western Hotel.

Tuesday, June 9, 2026. After a slower start following breakfast, we begin our birding in the Santa Fe Canyon area, listening for the Curve-billed Thrasher (see photo). Next, we head to the Randal Audubon Canyon Ranch for some high-elevation birding. This morning, we’ll walk approximately 1.5 miles round-trip through a pine forest. Back down at the visitor center, we’ll bird the gardens with numerous hummingbird feeders and other feeding stations. We will have lunch in Santa Fe, along Canyon Road. Then we can walk through the world-famous Santa Fe market square. We’re lodging next for three nights in the Hampton Inn, Taos, NM.

Wednesday, June 10, 2026, Another slower morning to bird a number of my personal hot spots in the Taos area. After lunch in Taos, we head to the Taos Ski Lodge area, at 10,000 ft. elevation. Here, we enjoy birding in the National Forest and along the creek parkway just outside the lodging area.

Thursday, June 11, 2026, we have an early start as we’ll be driving across the middle section of New Mexico to Maxwell National Wildlife. Along the way, we’ll watch for flocks of the Pinyon Jays (see photo) in the high plains grasslands along the Santa Fe Trail. This is an all-day adventure with us arriving back in Taos in the early evening for dinner.

Friday, June 12, 2026, is a slow morning. We’ll bird the areas north of Taos, including the New Mexico State Park and wildlife area overlooking the Rio Grande River, as well as a personal birding hot spot within and outside Taos city limits. We’ll begin our drive back to Albuquerque using the high road, the Turquoise Trail, for new areas of birding, passing through 300-year-old villages, and stopping for lunch in Chimayo. After lunch, we’ll stop at a few hot spots we didn’t bird during the earlier segments of the tour. We are ending our tour in Albuquerque at the Best Western Hotel. Please do not schedule your departure flight for Friday evening, as we may arrive late in Albuquerque. Schedule your flight for Saturday morning. The Best Western Hotel is not included in your tour cost; you’ll need to make your own room reservation. If you wish, I can make the hotel reservation for you and add the cost to your trip fee.

Reservations are being accepted for the 2026 field trip.

Please contact us to request a registration form and pricing.