April 21 - A Four Corners Easter

I woke at 4:30 this morning, and caught up on my eBird checklists, sharing them with Jimmy Woodard, Barrett Pierce, Jon Wise, and Jan Quailey from the post-festival trip through the Lesser Prairie Chicken Festival.  I ate breakfast at the motel, which has the ubiquitous waffle maker, along with yogurt, etc.  I did comment that their boiled eggs weren’t colored!

Taos’ Fred Baca Park and the adjacent Rio Fernando wetlands was nearby, so I spent a couple of hours walking the ‘trails’.

The city owns the park, while the adjacent property was acquired by the Taos Land Trust.  The Trust is beginning the process of revitalizing the 20-acre property, which comprises 13 acres of historical agricultural land and 7 acres of wetland next to the park.  The wetlands draw water birds you wouldn't otherwise expect in the area.

Green Heron skulking in the cattails

Much of the former farm land is currently a prairie dog town,

but the magpies have found it a great place to build their homes.

Black-billed Magpie

The sticks in the center of this tree are Ms. Magpie's nest

There were many migrating Yellow-rumped Warblers in the willows and cottonwoods here, including both “Myrtle” and “Audubon’s” plumage types.

Myrtle Warblers have white throats; Audubon's have yellow ones

The abundance of smaller birds was a draw for this big female Cooper's Hawk, which made a pass through.

The road west from Taos goes down the Rio Grande River canyon, and past many rafting and kayaking outfits.  I continued onto the Navajo Nation, past Shiprock.

The Real Shiprock!

I stopped to view yet another prairie dog town to check out the Burrowing Owls.  I love these little birds!

I’d never been to the Four Corners Monument, so drove up past Teec Nos Pos to the only place in the United States where four States adjoin.  I’d hoped that there would be a concession stand for fry bread, but they were closed.

No fry bread today . . .

A fair crowd of tourists was here this afternoon.  The kid lying on his belly is sprawled across all four States.

There are interpretive signs at the Monument, telling a bit about each State, and about the surveyors who contributed to the area’s history.

New Mexico

Arizona

Utah

Colorado

 And, since I’m on the Board of Directors for a Not-For-Profit Cemetery Association, this sign caught my eye.

Leaving the Monument, I noted that the unmanaged Feral Horses had pretty well eaten every blade of grass on the Reservation.  The “Wild Horse Act” may or may not apply on the Navajo Nation, but has severely hamstrung Federal land management agencies from removing these beasts from the arid lands.  Feral Horses do not belong on Public Lands.

While back at the Four Corners, I had a signal, so got onto the internet to make a reservation for the Monument Valley Inn in Kayenta.  The lower price was through Travelocity, and I got routed through an outfit called Cancelon.  I made a reservation, and when it came through, I was shocked to see that it was for the night of the 25^th!  I had poor service out there, so when I got to the Inn, I attempted to contact their support.  “No cancellations.  No changes to the reservation.”

When I got to Kayenta, the front desk people at the Inn, of course, had no record of the "third party" transaction.  So, I ended up paying again for a room for the night, with the intent of talking to the General Manager tomorrow.  This is a fairly up-scale establishment, and caters to many foreign visitors.  I heard many non-English languages spoken here through the evening, as I dined at the Inn’s restaurant.

Rio Fernando Wetlands eBird Checklist is Here

Another Prairie Dog Town eBird Checklist is Here

Four Corners eBird Checklist is Here