From a ridge high in the Black Range, gaze upon this tapestry of landforms and habitats. Distant thunderstorms sweep across grassland and playa. The Rocky Mountains thrust from the north into New Mexico with their freight of fir and aspen, Blue Grouse and Williamson's Sapsucker. Eastward the Rio Grande, flanked by agricultural fields and the famous chiles of Hatch, winds greenly through the Mesilla Valley along the Oñate trail, between ranges of rhyolite and limestone. To the west, Harris's Hawks and Abert's Towhees of the Sonoran Desert maintain outposts in New Mexico.

Southward in the blue mountain ranges of the Borderlands, Madrean evergreen woodland thrives. Here, silverleaf oak shelters Bridled Titmice and Painted Redstarts. Zone-tailed Hawks cruise the canyons, and an Elf Owl crouches under the deep night sky, mantling a meal of cricket.

Hear the Canyon Wren's song echo in the Lower Gila Box, the chew-ee of a Crissal Thrasher, the shrill of a Broad-tailed Hummingbird's flight. Hear the Old-Timers' stories.

Discover our blend of cultures, ancient and modern. Mimbreño potters once crafted fine ware with lively designs. Where the Casas Grandes people once built ball courts and traded macaw feathers, now ranchers and environmentalists join forces in organizations such as the Malpai Borderlands Group to resolve issues affecting the land.

This map complements the New Mexico Bird Finding Guide, and we highly recommend the book for its wealth of information.

We who are rooted in southwestern New Mexico extend a warm welcome to you, our fellow birders and friends. Just leave the gates as you find them, and we'll get along fine.