Birds of the Taos Box, Rio Grande (updated)

Birds of the Taos Box, Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. Birds love rivers! Some birds eat fish, some eat insects that hatch out of the river, some eat subsurface insects, and some eat river-grown vegetation.

One of the largest birds along the Rio Grande.
You know what the Great Blue Heron eats – everything that moves!
Blue-winged teal on the boulders.
Blue-winged Teal migrate up and down the Rio Grande.

American Dipper on a basalt boulder.
This is an American Dipper, or Water Ouzel. It dives to the bottom, where it probes for invertebrates, like the nymphs that fly fishermen imitate.
American Dipper, baby birds in the nest.
Ouzels have been using this nest for decades! As can be seen, it’s located within splashing range of some whitewater. Guess the name of that whitewater! Yep, it’s Ouzel Rapid.
One of the wading birds of the Rio Grande.
The Black-crowned night heron comes out during the day, as well as at night.
Night Heron of the river.
Either an immature or female Night Heron.
Canada Goose with chick.
Is this a Canadian goose or a Canada goose? He (or she) is the latter. If you get to close, they are known to become aggressive. They eat grasses and sedges along the river. Did your spot the gosling?
Mallard duck with her brood.
Mother Mallard looking after her brood.
Swallows are often seen in the Taos Box.
What are these American cliff swallows up to? Well … they build spherical mud houses under overhangs. Seen here, flying back to the riverside cliff face with mud in their mouths.
Spotted Towhee along the river.
Spotted Towhees eat mainly insects.

Spotted Towhees have a very interesting catlike mew call.

A colorful bird of the Rio Grande.
One of the prettiest birds you’ll see along the river – the Western tanager. However, you have to be looking for them at the right time of the year. They are springtime migrants, for instance using the Rio Grande as a migration route.
Northern Chat of the Taos Box.
The Yellow-breasted Chat forages mainly on spiders and insects, including beetles, bugs, ants, bees, mayflies, cicadas, moths, and caterpillars.
Glossy Ibis on the shore.
Not often seen is the Glossy Ibis. Glossy Ibis are able to forage both by sight and touch, therefore on either dry land and in the water.
Grebe
Certainly a real treat when spotted, another rarity is the Western Grebe. They stab their prey with a quick jab of the bill, feeding mostly on fish.

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