Various birdwatchers have been recording sightings in this area since as early as 1969. (If anyone knows of earlier or other records, please contact me.) Jack Whetstone, a resident of Dixon from 1969 until 1976 kept detailed records of his bird sightings during that time. He also kept records on Summer trips he made to Dixon in 1977, 1978, 1981 and 1987. He also spent the winter of 1987-88 here. In 1997, Bob Weber, a Taos resident, began an Audubon Christmas Bird Count in the area. In 2001, I took over the management of that count. I have kept detailed records of bird activity along the Río Embudo since 1999.
Observations limited to the Dixon Christmas Bird Count Circle, a 15 mile diameter circle centered on Arroyo la Mina in Dixon. See Satellite Map of Count Circle
All species listed have been observed on at least one occasion.
English Name | Genus species | Abundance |
Canada Goose | Branta canadensis | Less Common All-year Resident |
Wood Duck | Aix sponsa | Less Common All-year Resident |
Gadwall | Anas strepera | Rare Winter Visitor |
American Wigeon | Anas americana | Uncommon Winter Visitor |
Mallard | Anas platyrhynchos | Common All-year Resident |
Northern Pintail | Anas acuta | Rare Winter Visitor |
Green-winged Teal | Anas crecca | Uncommon Winter Visitor |
Ring-necked Duck | Aythya collaris | Rare Winter Visitor |
Lesser Scaup | Aythya affinis | Rare Winter Visitor |
Bufflehead | Bucephala albeola | Rare Winter Visitor |
Common Goldeneye | Bucephala clangula | Common Winter Visitor |
Barrow's Goldeneye | Bucephala islandica | Rare Winter Visitor |
Hooded Merganser | Lophodytes cucullatus | Uncommon Winter Visitor |
Common Merganser | Mergus merganser | Common Winter Visitor |
Ring-necked Pheasant | Phasianus colchicus | Rare All-Year Resident |
Wild Turkey | Meleagris gallopavo | Rare Winter Visitor |
Scaled Quail | Callipepla squamata | Rare All-Year Resident |
Pied-billed Grebe | Podilymbus podiceps | Rare All-Year Resident |
Eared Grebe | Podiceps nigricollis | Rare Winter Visitor |
American White Pelican | Pelecanus erythrorhynchos | Rare Transient |
Double-crested Cormorant | Phalacrocorax auritus | Rare Transient |
Great Blue Heron | Ardea herodias | Common All-year Resident |
Great Egret | Ardea alba | Rare Transient |
Snowy Egret | Egretta thula | Rare Transient |
Green Heron | Butorides virescens | Rare Transient |
Black-crowned Night-Heron | Nycticorax nycticorax | Less Common Summer Resident |
White-faced Ibis | Plegadis chihi | Rare Transient |
Turkey Vulture | Cathartes aura | Common Summer Resident |
Osprey | Pandion haliaetus | Uncommon Transient |
Mississippi Kite | Ictinia mississippiensis | Summer Vagrant |
Bald Eagle | Haliaeetus leucocephalus | Common Winter Visitor |
Northern Harrier | Circus cyaneus | Uncommon Winter Visitor |
Sharp-shinned Hawk | Accipiter striatus | Uncommon All-year Resident |
Cooper's Hawk | Accipiter cooperii | Less Common All-year Resident |
Swainson's Hawk | Buteo swainsoni | Rare Transient |
Zone-tailed Hawk | Buteo albonotatus | Summer Vagrant |
Red-tailed Hawk | Buteo jamaicensis | Common All-year Resident |
Rough-legged Hawk | Buteo lagopus | Rare Winter Visitor |
Golden Eagle | Aquila chrysaetos | Uncommon All-year Resident |
American Kestrel | Falco sparverius | Less Common All-year Resident |
Merlin | Falco columbarius | Uncommon Winter Visitor |
Peregrine Falcon | Falco peregrinus | Rare All-Year Resident |
Prairie Falcon | Falco mexicanus | Rare All-Year Resident |
American Coot | Fulica americana | Uncommon All-year Resident |
Sandhill Crane | Grus canadensis | Uncommon Transient |
Killdeer | Charadrius vociferus | Less Common Summer Resident |
Black-necked Stilt | Himantopus mexicanus | Rare Transient |
American Avocet | Recurvirostra americana | Rare Transient |
Solitary Sandpiper | Tringa solitaria | Uncommon Transient |
Willet | Catoptrophorus semipalmatus | Uncommon Transient |
Spotted Sandpiper | Actitis macularius | Less Common Summer Resident |
Spotted Sandpiper | Actitis macularius | Rare Over-wintering Summer Breeder |
Wilson's Snipe | Gallinago delicata | Uncommon Winter Visitor |
Rock Pigeon | Columba livia | Common All-year Resident |
Band-tailed Pigeon | Patagioenas fasciata | Rare Summer Resident |
Eurasian Collared-Dove | Streptopelia decaocto | Less Common All-year Resident |
White-winged Dove | Zenaida asiatica | Less Common All-year Resident |
Mourning Dove | Zenaida macroura | Less Common All-year Resident |
Yellow-billed Cuckoo | Coccyzus americanus | Rare Summer Resident |
Greater Roadrunner | Geococcyx californianus | Rare All-Year Resident |
Barn Owl | Tyto alba | Rare All-Year Resident |
Western Screech-Owl | Megascops kennicottii | Rare All-Year Resident |
Great Horned Owl | Bubo virginianus | Uncommon All-year Resident |
Northern Pygmy-Owl | Glaucidium gnoma | Rare All-Year Resident |
Northern Saw-whet Owl | Aegolius acadicus | Rare All-Year Resident |
Common Nighthawk | Chordeiles minor | Less Common Summer Resident |
Common Poorwill | Phalaenoptilus nuttallii | Rare Transient |
White-throated Swift | Aeronautes saxatalis | Less Common Transient |
Black-chinned Hummingbird | Archilochus alexandri | Common Summer Resident |
Calliope Hummingbird | Stellula calliope | Less Common Transient |
Broad-tailed Hummingbird | Selasphorus platycercus | Common Summer Resident |
Rufous Hummingbird | Selasphorus rufus | Common Transient |
Belted Kingfisher | Ceryle alcyon | Less Common All-year Resident |
Lewis's Woodpecker | Melanerpes lewis | Less Common All-year Resident |
Williamson's Sapsucker | Sphyrapicus thyroideus | Rare Transient |
Red-naped Sapsucker | Sphyrapicus nuchalis | Rare Winter Visitor |
Red-naped Sapsucker | Sphyrapicus nuchalis | Uncommon Transient |
Ladder-backed Woodpecker | Picoides scalaris | Less Common All-year Resident |
Downy Woodpecker | Picoides pubescens | Common All-year Resident |
Hairy Woodpecker | Picoides villosus | Less Common All-year Resident |
Northern Flicker | Colaptes auratus | Common All-year Resident |
Olive-sided Flycatcher | Contopus cooperi | Less Common Transient |
Western Wood-Pewee | Contopus sordidulus | Common Summer Resident |
Willow Flycatcher | Empidonax traillii | Rare Transient |
Gray Flycatcher | Empidonax wrightii | Rare Summer Resident |
Unidentified Empidonax Flycatcher | Empidonax (sp) | Uncommon Transient |
Black Phoebe | Sayornis nigricans | Common Summer Resident |
Black Phoebe | Sayornis nigricans | Rare Over-wintering Summer Breeder |
Say's Phoebe | Sayornis saya | Common Summer Resident |
Say's Phoebe | Sayornis saya | Rare Over-wintering Summer Breeder |
Ash-throated Flycatcher | Myiarchus cinerascens | Common Summer Resident |
Cassin's Kingbird | Tyrannus vociferans | Common Summer Resident |
Western Kingbird | Tyrannus verticalis | Less Common Summer Resident |
Eastern Kingbird | Tyrannus tyrannus | Rare Summer Resident |
Loggerhead Shrike | Lanius ludovicianus | Rare All-Year Resident |
Northern Shrike | Lanius excubitor | Rare Winter Visitor |
Gray Vireo | Vireo vicinior | Rare Summer Resident |
Plumbeous Vireo | Vireo plumbeus | Common Summer Resident |
Warbling Vireo | Vireo gilvus | Less Common Summer Resident |
Steller's Jay | Cyanocitta stelleri | Uncommon Winter Visitor |
Western Scrub-Jay | Aphelocoma californica | Common All-year Resident |
Pinyon Jay | Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus | Common All-year Resident |
Clark's Nutcracker | Nucifraga columbiana | Rare All-Year Resident |
Black-billed Magpie | Pica hudsonia | Common All-year Resident |
American Crow | Corvus brachyrhynchos | Common All-year Resident |
Common Raven | Corvus corax | Common All-year Resident |
Horned Lark | Eremophila alpestris | Rare Winter Visitor |
Tree Swallow | Tachycineta bicolor | Uncommon Transient |
Violet-green Swallow | Tachycineta thalassina | Common Transient |
Violet-green Swallow | Tachycineta thalassina | Less Common Summer Resident |
Northern Rough-winged Swallow | Stelgidopteryx serripennis | Common Summer Resident |
Cliff Swallow | Petrochelidon pyrrhonota | Common Summer Resident |
Barn Swallow | Hirundo rustica | Common Summer Resident |
Black-capped Chickadee | Poecile atricapillus | Common All-year Resident |
Mountain Chickadee | Poecile gambeli | Less Common Winter Visitor |
Juniper Titmouse | Baeolophus ridgwayi | Less Common All-year Resident |
Bushtit | Psaltriparus minimus | Common All-year Resident |
White-breasted Nuthatch | Sitta carolinensis | Common All-year Resident |
Pygmy Nuthatch | Sitta pygmaea | Rare Winter Visitor |
Brown Creeper | Certhia americana | Rare All-Year Resident |
Rock Wren | Salpinctes obsoletus | Uncommon All-year Resident |
Canyon Wren | Catherpes mexicanus | Less Common All-year Resident |
Bewick's Wren | Thryomanes bewickii | Less Common All-year Resident |
House Wren | Troglodytes aedon | Uncommon Summer Resident |
Winter Wren | Troglodytes troglodytes | Winter Vagrant |
American Dipper | Cinclus mexicanus | Common All-year Resident |
Ruby-crowned Kinglet | Regulus calendula | Less Common Winter Visitor |
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | Polioptila caerulea | Uncommon Summer Resident |
Eastern Bluebird | Sialia sialis | Winter Vagrant |
Western Bluebird | Sialia mexicana | Common All-year Resident |
Mountain Bluebird | Sialia currucoides | Less Common Winter Visitor |
Townsend's Solitaire | Myadestes townsendi | Common Winter Visitor |
Swainson's Thrush | Catharus ustulatus | Rare Transient |
Hermit Thrush | Catharus guttatus | Less Common Winter Visitor |
American Robin | Turdus migratorius | Common All-year Resident |
Gray Catbird | Dumetella carolinensis | Rare Summer Resident |
Gray Catbird | Dumetella carolinensis | Uncommon Transient |
Northern Mockingbird | Mimus polyglottos | Less Common Summer Resident |
Northern Mockingbird | Mimus polyglottos | Rare Over-wintering Summer Breeder |
Sage Thrasher | Oreoscoptes montanus | Rare Transient |
Curve-billed Thrasher | Toxostoma curvirostre | Less Common All-year Resident |
European Starling | Sturnus vulgaris | Common All-year Resident |
American Pipit | Anthus rubescens | Rare Transient |
Cedar Waxwing | Bombycilla cedrorum | Uncommon Winter Visitor |
Orange-crowned Warbler | Vermivora celata | Uncommon Summer Resident |
Virginia's Warbler | Vermivora virginiae | Less Common Summer Resident |
Northern Parula | Parula americana | Transient Vagrant |
Yellow Warbler | Dendroica petechia | Common Summer Resident |
Magnolia Warbler | Dendroica magnolia | Transient Vagrant |
Yellow-rumped Warbler | Dendroica coronata | Common Transient |
Yellow-rumped Warbler | Dendroica coronata | Uncommon Winter Visitor |
Black-throated Gray Warbler | Dendroica nigrescens | Uncommon Summer Resident |
Townsend's Warbler | Dendroica townsendi | Rare Transient |
Pine Warbler | Dendroica pinus | Winter Vagrant |
Northern Waterthrush | Seiurus noveboracensis | Rare Transient |
MacGillivray's Warbler | Oporornis tolmiei | Less Common Transient |
Common Yellowthroat | Geothlypis trichas | Uncommon Transient |
Hooded Warbler | Wilsonia citrina | Summer Vagrant |
Wilson's Warbler | Wilsonia pusilla | Common Transient |
Yellow-breasted Chat | Icteria virens | Common Summer Resident |
Summer Tanager | Piranga rubra | Winter Vagrant |
Western Tanager | Piranga ludoviciana | Common Transient |
Green-tailed Towhee | Pipilo chlorurus | Less Common Transient |
Spotted Towhee | Pipilo maculatus | Common All-year Resident |
Canyon Towhee | Pipilo fuscus | Common All-year Resident |
Rufous-crowned Sparrow | Aimophila ruficeps | Rare Winter Visitor |
American Tree Sparrow | Spizella arborea | Rare Winter Visitor |
Chipping Sparrow | Spizella passerina | Common Summer Resident |
Brewer's Sparrow | Spizella breweri | Uncommon Transient |
Vesper Sparrow | Pooecetes gramineus | Uncommon Transient |
Lark Sparrow | Chondestes grammacus | Less Common Transient |
Black-throated Sparrow | Amphispiza bilineata | Rare Summer Resident |
Lark Bunting | Calamospiza melanocorys | Less Common Transient |
Savannah Sparrow | Passerculus sandwichensis | Rare Transient |
Song Sparrow | Melospiza melodia | Common All-year Resident |
Lincoln's Sparrow | Melospiza lincolnii | Uncommon Transient |
Swamp Sparrow | Melospiza georgiana | Winter Vagrant |
White-throated Sparrow | Zonotrichia albicollis | Rare Winter Visitor |
Harris's Sparrow | Zonotrichia querula | Winter Vagrant |
White-crowned Sparrow | Zonotrichia leucophrys | Common Winter Visitor |
Dark-eyed Junco | Junco hyemalis | Common Winter Visitor |
Rose-breasted Grosbeak | Pheucticus ludovicianus | Uncommon Transient |
Black-headed Grosbeak | Pheucticus melanocephalus | Common Summer Resident |
Blue Grosbeak | Passerina caerulea | Common Summer Resident |
Lazuli Bunting | Passerina amoena | Common Summer Resident |
Indigo Bunting | Passerina cyanea | Uncommon Summer Resident |
Red-winged Blackbird | Agelaius phoeniceus | Less Common All-year Resident |
Western Meadowlark | Sturnella neglecta | Rare All-Year Resident |
Yellow-headed Blackbird | Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus | Uncommon Transient |
Brewer's Blackbird | Euphagus cyanocephalus | Rare Summer Resident |
Common Grackle | Quiscalus quiscula | Uncommon Summer Resident |
Great-tailed Grackle | Quiscalus mexicanus | Rare Summer Resident |
Brown-headed Cowbird | Molothrus ater | Less Common Summer Resident |
Bullock's Oriole | Icterus bullockii | Common Summer Resident |
Scott's Oriole | Icterus parisorum | Rare Summer Resident |
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch | Leucosticte tephrocotis | Rare Winter Visitor |
Cassin's Finch | Carpodacus cassinii | Less Common Winter Visitor |
House Finch | Carpodacus mexicanus | Common All-year Resident |
Pine Siskin | Carduelis pinus | Less Common All-year Resident |
Lesser Goldfinch | Carduelis psaltria | Common Summer Resident |
American Goldfinch | Carduelis tristis | Common Winter Visitor |
Evening Grosbeak | Coccothraustes vespertinus | Uncommon All-year Resident |
House Sparrow | Passer domesticus | Common All-year Resident |