Rosy-Finches at Sandia Crest (New Mexico)

December 31, 2022

In memory of Ryan Beaulieu, whose spirit and deep love for rosy-finches is everlasting in the Sandia Mountains.

^{Abert’s Squirrel (Sciurus aberti)}

I went back and forth a hundred times about whether or not I should drive to Santa Fe, New Mexico for New Year’s Eve. The rosy-finches had arrived about a month earlier and this would probably be my only opportunity to see them before their spring departure. I had a two-day window to pull it off. December 30-31st or nothin’.

A huge snowstorm rolled through the day before I was to supposed leave. In fact, snow had been coming down the whole week before I was supposed to leave. Ice, snow, and a 75 mph speed limit on the interstate for 400 miles. Not ideal.

I kept thinking, “If you go, this might be the most reckless thing you’ve ever done.” It probably was, but I’ll never forget the sight of that first rosy-finch.

^{Black Rosy-Finch (Leucosticte atrata)}

^{Black Rosy-Finch (Leucosticte australis)}

Three rosy-finch species occur in North America: the Black Rosy-Finch, Brown-capped Rosy-Finch, and Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch.

Seeing all three together during summer months is unlikely. The Black Rosy-Finch nests in cliffs at impossibly high altitudes of the Great Basin, while the Brown-capped Rosy-Finch occupies the southern Rockies. Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches make the trek to Alaska, British Columbia, and the mountains of Idaho, Montana, and Northern California to breed. It’s only in the depths of winter that the stars (and finches) align.

Sandia Crest, high up on a mountain in Northern New Mexico, is one of the most accessible places in their range to spot all three rosy-finch species. As the story goes, birders Ken and Mary Lou Schneider drove up Sandia Peak (10,678 ft) in December 1999 to find a flock of 20 rosy-finches feeding on a discarded sandwich at the edge of the parking lot.

In the words of Ken Schneider, “The next morning we repeated the 13 mile drive up the Crest Road, carrying a supply of wild bird seed. Halfway up, snow started falling and we drove slowly to the top. We scattered seed generously on the snowbank where we had first seen the finches. They did not disappoint us, as within minutes a dozen or more appeared along with some juncos and they swarmed over the seed. We engaged Central New Mexico Audubon, the US Forest Service, Crest House management as well as a local bird seed supplier in an agreement whereby three feeders were installed, to be maintained by Forest Service volunteers.” (More from Ken Schneider here.)

Since that fruitful day in 1999, Sandia Crest has developed into a productive banding and research site for rosy-finches. Bird feeders are maintained for people from all over the world to admire the rosy-finches November through March.

Aside from the rosy-finches, I also watched resident Dark-eyed Juncos, Cassin’s Finches, Steller’s Jays, and Hairy Woodpeckers hop around in the snow that New Year’s Eve morning. In those moments, I reflected on another year of birdwatching, another year of life, and all the beautiful memories that lie ahead.