National Wildlife Refuges

Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico, 1966

Situated on a high plateau where the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains and the Chihuahuan desert come together, Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge provides habitat for a diversity of plant and animal life. Established for migratory birds traveling along the Central Flyway, this 8,672 acre refuge is comprised of native grasslands, croplands, marshes, ponds, timbered canyons and streams which provide important habitat for over 254 species of birds. Las Vegas (Spanish for "the meadows") preserves not only wildlife homes, but also a slice of northeastern New Mexico's rich cultural history.

Old world Indians inhabited the fertile valley of Las Vegas as early as 8,000 B.C. Pueblo Indians lived here during the 1100s until eventually forced out by drought and Apaches.

Wherever ecosystems intercept, you're bound to find more kinds of wildlife than in either ecosystem separately. Las Vegas NWR harbors animals, birds and plants of both mountains and plains, and those that thrive in both.Northern harriers hover over marshes in search of voles. Bald Eeagles haze rafts of ducks and coots in search of prey. Wild turkeys wander the pinyon-juniper woodlands. Pronghorn blend into native prairies home to badgers and burrowing owls. Mule deer find shelter in timbered, sandstone canyons. Coyotes roam across every habitat.

Birds winging north and south along the Central Flyway add to the refuge bird wealth. The Las Vegas NWR bird list records 271 species, many that ebb and flow with the seasons. Out of the list, 80 species nest here and 50 of those are neotropical migrants, birds that spend winters south of the U.S. The refuge's 14 species of raptors glide through during their spring and fall migration. Viewers might see three or four hawk species on a typical fall day visit.

Migrating shorebirds, like long-billed dowitchers and sandpipers, probe the mudflats in early fall and spring. Some 20 bald eagles spend winters here, attracted by open waters and hundreds of ducks and geese. Mallards, canvasbacks, and wigeons peak in October and November. You'll find highest numbers of ruddy ducks, northern shovelers, northern pintails, and gadwalls in March and April. For best sandhill crane and Canada goose watching, visit in fall and winter.

That's the interesting part. The rest is more a learning experience. I went through the LVNWR during the summer on my way back from northern Colorado. First, it wasn't the best time of year to visit. And second, I had gotten sick while in Colorado and still wasn't feeling very well so I zipped through the refuge just to see if it was worth coming back. The result was good news and bad new. The good news was that it was very much worth going back. The bad news is that I haven't been back. While I saw a porcupine in the trees along one of the creeks, the photo wasn't a keeper -- just could not get a clear shot with all the branches and leaves around him. Much to my embarrassment I only came away with one "keeper."

Mule Deer crossing the