Alamogordo Salt Lakes June 10

The need for additional groceries requires a trip down the mountain into Alamogordo. The small store in Cloudcroft has closed since our last visit and the only other option is an Allsup's Convenience Store.  A must visit birding spot is Holloman Lakes Wetlands Complex, which we discovered in 2011, quite by accident, when we visited White Sands National Monument.

An actual part of the Air Force Base and designated as a Partners in Flight conservation site, public access is allowed to the wetlands area. 

 On that bright June day, the surface of the water was glass with the San Andres Mountains on the other side of the Tularosa Basin rising in the distance.

Reflections on the surface of the water and the dazzling salt beds surrounding the lakes made wildlife viewing more difficult.

While finding  salt encrusted hoodoos along the shoreline, we discovered American Avocet and Black-necked Stilt, too far away for any decent photos.

 There is an Avocet in this photo just to the upper left of the date stamp.

 The drainage canal from the west sported a pair of Blue-winged Teal and more stilts and avocet.

The June doldrums kept the number of land birds down to just Mockingbird and Western Kingbird  which were easily visible and very vocal.

The one photo of a Kingbird that I snapped proved to be a Cassin's upon enlargement.

Reflections...

and more reflections...

The lake nearest the highway is completely dry, hopefully the summer monsoon will add water and the dispersal of this year's fledglings will provide a greater number of birds for our next visit.