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Local birds drawn Jackie Blurton, one of your hosts at Silver City KOA. |
Come see our birds!
Birds seen here
Come see our birds.
We are birders and are delighted to assist you with information about the best birding. We’ve developed our own birding guide, which has 17 of our favorite birding locations.
Southwest New Mexico has a well-deserved reputation for birding. The lush riparian river valleys, scenic mountains and canyons, and the surrounding grasslands of the Gila National Forest attract about 339 species, approximately 85% of the bird species that can be seen in New Mexico.
The scenic byways of Grant County offer beautiful vistas and a variety of habitats you can visit in a day’s short leisurely drive. A morning can be spent birding along the Gila River looking for warblers and flycatchers. The afternoon can be spent in the cool pines of Cherry Creek looking for tanagers and yes, more warblers.
Birding in Grant County has year-around rewards. In winter there are many locations that offer scenery of beautiful rock formations, sandy washes and hidden springs that are a magnet for wintering birds. Spring migrations begin in mid to late April with a flow of migrants up the Gila River Valley. Summer offers excellent birding in the cool forested mountains as well as the river valleys.
A small sampling of the species found here include Montezuma Quail, Common Black Hawk, Red-faced Warbler, Lucy’s Warbler, Olive Warbler, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Hepatic Tanager, Vermillion Flycatcher, Stellar’s and Pinyon Jays, Bald and Golden Eagles, American Dipper, Nuthatches, Acorn Woodpeckers, and the Juniper and Bridled Titmouse. Hummingbird species include Allen’s, Black-chinned, Broad-tailed, Calliope, Blue-throated, Magnificent, and Rufous.
Southwest Birding Trails
Southwest New Mexico was the first area of the state to develop a birding guide. Forty-one sites were selected and include a wide variety of habitats. The official Southwestern New Mexico Birding Trail maps are available here at the Silver City KOA.
Birding at the Silver City KOA
Here is a checklist of birds that have been seen at our campground:
Blackbirds
- Brewer’s Blackbird
- Tricolored Blackbird
Bluebirds
- Mountain Bluebird
- Western Bluebird
Bunting
Dove
- Mourning Dove
- White-wing Dove
Duck
Egret
Finch
- American Goldfinch
- Cassin’s Finch
- House Finch
- Lesser Goldfinch
Flycatcher
Grosbeak
- Black-headed Grosbeak
- Blue Grosbeak
- Evening Grosbeak
- Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Heron
Hummingbird
- Black-chinned Hummingbird
- Rufus Hummingbird
Jay
- Mexican Jay
- Western Scrub Jay
Kestrel
Lark
- Horned Lark
- Western Meadow Lark
Oriole
Phainopepla
Quail
- Gamble’s Quail
- Montezuma’s Quail
Raptor
- Back Hawk
- Coopers Hawk
- Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Red-tailed Hawk
Raven
Roadrunner
Shorebird
Sparrow
- Chipping Sparrow
- House Sparrow
- White-crowned Sparrow
Tanager
Thrush
Titmouse
Towhee
- Canyon Towhee
- Spotted Towhee
Vulture
Warbler
Waxwing
Woodpecker
- Northern Flicker
- Ladder-backed Woodpecker
- Williamson’s Sapsucker
Wren
Sparrow
- Chipping Sparrow
- House Sparrow
- White-crowned Sparrow
Siskin
