Images are organized alphabetically by family, genus, and species. Hover over a photo series to control the images.

Ardeidae: Great Egret (Ardea alba)

During their seasonal migrations, great egrets sometimes visit Albuquerque. More rarely, they winter here. At first glance great egrets resemble the snowy egrets that breed in New Mexico. However, great egrets are larger, have longer necks, and have yellow beaks and black feet. A January 2026 photo show how long the long neck is.

Great egrets move while hunting. In my March 2023 photo, the great egret's beak holds not one but two minnows it caught with a lightning-fast jab. 

Ardeidae: Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

If you keep visiting the Rio Grande Bosque in Albuquerque, you'll notice a lot of these magnificent birds. And if you're like me, you'll keep taking pictures of them. An even better place for photographing great blue herons is Isleta Lakes, due to the lack of brush at the water's edge.

Ardeidae: Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)

During breeding season, these birds develop patches of tan plumage. Western cattle egrets are a recent example of the natural spread of species (as opposed to introductions by humans). They reached South America from Africa in 1877, and by 1953 were nesting in the U.S.

Ardeidae: Green Heron (Butorides virescens)

My May 2021 photos of an adult green heron were taken in cloudy weather, from a distance, but do a good job of showing the adult plumage. And as it turns out, green herons aren't green. 

My August 2022 photos of a juvenile green heron aren't great either, in part because I was shooting into the sun (and again, from a distance). However, one of them clearly shows the juvenile's raised crest. In my subsequent photos of juveniles, distance was again a factor. These birds don't like people getting close to them.

Ardeidae: Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)

When I see a possible snowy egret, the first thing I look for is orange-yellow to yellow feet. If the legs are black, that's an adult. If the legs are greenish yellow, that's an immature individual. The second thing I look for is wispy plumes at the rump and at the back of the neck. To refine my ID, I look for yellow lores (the spaces between the beak and eyes) and a mostly black bill. (The lores can look reddish in breeding adults.) Also, snowy egrets move around as they hunt for fish, as opposed to staying frozen in place.

Ardeide: Black-Crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)

If you live in Albuquerque and never have seen a black-crowned night heron, the easy way to see your first is to visit Tingley Beach in the late afternoon, in the middle of winter, and stand to the west of the big island.  A large part (all?) of the local population spends its winter nights on that island, with birds drifting in as the sun gets very low. 

In January 2024 I encountered a juvenile who was surviving despite missing a foot, as I describe briefly in this blog.

Pelecanidae: American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)

A marvelous bird to behold in New Mexico. Not that easy to see here, however, since they only migrate through. Also, the subject of my favorite limerick.

Threskiornithidae: White-Faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi)

To me, white-faced ibis look like they escaped from a zoo, not like they're in the Albuquerque area naturally. As it is, they only migrate through. The "white face" (more of a white fringe around the beak and eyes) is apparent only on breeding adults.