Greetings from New Mexico! Socorro, to be exact . . .

As you know, I am down here to co-lead a WINGS tour with Gavin Bieber. We've been having a great time, with great birding, and great southwestern food!

I'll summarize our trip when I return to the Great White North, but I wanted to get out my photos of a most-unexpected treat yesterday, a Rufous-backed Robin (a friend of Gavin's believes that this may only be a 7th New Mexico record, and likely the first for Sierra County).

We were birding the Animas Valley, which is the only drainage east of the Continental Divide with Arizona Sycamores, and therefore this area hosts a few more-western species, including Acorn Woodpecker (we saw a pair), Red-naped Sapsucker (we had one), and especially, Bridled Titmouse (we encountered one foraging flock of 6). A single Inca Dove and a single Hairy Woodpecker were our only individuals of the trip so far, and a lone Green-tailed Towhee was another targeted bird (but we dipped on the vagrant Red-headed Woodpecker).

However, then things got exciting!

While trying to refind the towhee, we noticed two birds flush out of the brush. Convieniently, Gavin followed one - which was a White-winged Dove. I stayed on the other, thinking it might be the towhee. Then, the bird flew again, and Gavin and I watched a robin-sized, thrush-shaped bird fly across the road, through the front yard of house #33, and up into a tall pecan tree in the backyard, where it alighted on the crown.

Immediately, we both noticed the rufous back, which contrasted nicely with a gray head and nape. "Uh, Gavin . . ." I said. "Uh, yeah . . . " he said. Despite a distant, and rather uninspiring view, we both immediately knew what this was. But, this was not Southeast Arizona (where it is virtually annual), so we were really pumped. As I ran to fetch a scope, the bird dropped down into the backyard.

Gavin got on the phone to call some local birders, and Merrill and I began the search. We walked down the entrance road to the Animas Creek Nursery, and at the gate, began to search for the bird. Eventually, I found it as it flew up into the middle branches of an unidentified deciduous tree, where the above photographs were taken.

After a short time, it flew down the entrance road a bit, and joined some European Starlings in feeding on some juniper berries. After a minute or so, it flew across the road (to the east), and alighted in another tall (also unidentified) deciduous tree, where we all had extensive scope views before the bird dropped to the ground, and it was time for us to move on.