Grulla NWR April 23

Decided to explore Grulla NWR today, small refuge under umbrella of Muleshoe NWR but located southeast of Portales

with a small portion spilling over the state line. 

Only 3200 acres with 2200 being Salt Lake

Grulla is Spanish for crane

and in the winter when the lake fills with water, some 20,000 Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese abound. 

There's no visitor center or any facilities other than a parking lot

Another famous resident is the Lesser Prairie Chicken

We were not lucky enough to snag a chicken, but a resident Mockingbird supplied a perfect chicken cackle that made our toes curl up. 

This track looked inviting, but between Alvin's knee and my Sciatic nerve, plus the temperature, we opted for the lazy way.

The refuge is surrounded by hay fields,

and  dairy farms, 

dairy cows eat lots of hay

and make lots of manure

LOTS OF MANURE

The highways are mostly straight and the terrain is mostly flat 

punctuated by and occasional tree

perfect for a Swainson's Hawk looking for a nesting site. 

I didn't manage any pictures of all the sparrows, too busy looking...

Cassin's were singing, but not yet skylarking, White-crowned and Vesper were exploring a manure pile next to the refuge entry road. 

Western Meadowlark song fluted across the prairie while Say's Phoebe and Western Kingbird perched on the barbed wire fence and the first Bullock's Oriole of the season put in an appearance. 

An unwelcome spotting was a Brown-headed Cowbird. 

Definitely worth the drive to check out this small, little known refuge.