This carved coyote was standing next to the fireplace inside The Inn on the Alameda.

I had used eBird to look up some prospective places for us to look for birds today.

Map of the area we were planning to travel this day

Our first stop of the morning was Shidoni Sculpture Garden at Tesuque village; it had interesting sculptures and some interesting birds.

Shidoni Sculpture Garden, north of Santa Fe, NM

Shidoni Sculpture Garden

Shidoni Sculpture Garden

Shidoni Sculpture Garden

Shidoni Sculpture Garden

Young Brown-headed Cowbird begging from a Pine Siskin?

Williamson's Sapsucker on a tree at the edge of the sculpture garden

Williamson's Sapsucker

Williamson's Sapsucker

Williamson's Sapsucker

Williamson's Sapsucker

Western Bluebird

Pine Siskin

Western Bluebird

Chipping Sparrow

Western Bluebirds

Western Bluebird

Western Bluebird

Chipping Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow in the shadow of a sculpture

Chipping Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow

Sculpture

Mask sculpture

Wider view of the "mask" sculpture

Back side of the mask sculpture

A horse made of horseshoes

Horse and rider

Watching the grandkids play

Playing with the grandkids

There were lots of young Chipping Sparrows on the ground.

Western Bluebird

Adult Chipping Sparrow

Adult Chipping Sparrow

Back side of Chipping Sparrow

Western Bluebird

Our next stop was the retention ponds at the Buffalo Thunder Resort and Casino.

This Spotted Sandpiper was walking along the water's edge.

A second pond was covered in cattails and other plants.

Pond at Buffalo Thunder Resort and Casino, NM

Buffalo Thunder Resort and Casino

Barn Swallow

Spotted Sandpiper in nonbreeding plumage

Red-winged Blackbird

Red-winged Blackbird

Red-winged Blackbird

Black Phoebe

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Damselfly

Dragonfly

Dragonfly

Damselfly

Mallards in the retention pond at the casino

This bird has a very dark bill for a Mallard.

Velvet Ant

Spotted Sandpiper

Spotted Sandpiper

Next we looked for the Pojoaque community water treatment facility, but we missed a turn and came across an industrial park with this abandoned parabolic antenna, like something from a dystopic futuristic movie set.

Abandoned antenna at an industrial park...

...or could it be something from "War of the Worlds"?

Asters in the sandy soil

Retracing our steps, we found the turn for the water treatment facility and another rubber-lined reservoir, with ducks like this Northern Shoveler.

Northern Shovelers at the Pojoaque community water treatment facility

Northern Shoveler

Adult female or juvenile Redhead

Spotted Sandpiper

Killdeer

Spotted Sandpiper

Spotted Sandpiper

Ruddy Duck

Killdeer

Farther north, we found the New Mexico Wildlife Center, a small nature park and animal rehabilitation and rescue facility.

Snake wrangler Alex Patia, Education and Outreach Manager at the Center, showed us his latest find.

The Center housed a number of rescued birds and other animals with injuries that did not permit their return to the wild, like this Northern Goshawk.

Light adult Ferruginous Hawk

Cooper's Hawk

Great Horned Owl

Barn Owl

There were signs on the walking path providing information or, like this one, asking children to compare their "wingspan" to that of a Red-tailed Hawk.

Wingspan of the Bald Eagle illustration on the trail

View of the Center from out on the path through the grounds

Wildflowers

New Mexico Wildlife Center

Prickly pear cactus and fruit

Raccoon

Immature Chipping Sparrow?

Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird?

Landscape on the east side of the highway as we went farther north

On the west side of the highway, we could see the gorge cut by the Rio Grande.

The big sky as we headed toward Taos

New Mexico sky

More clouds

Clouds over north-central New Mexico

More clouds and sky

We met everyone at a Mexican restaurant at the south side of Taos where they had just finished a late lunch. We had a later lunch, took a quick drive through town, then took the "high road" back toward Santa Fe, catching more scenery along the way.

We stopped at an overlook where a state forestry person told us lightning had started a fire along our route, so we could expect to see smoke as we traveled south.

Pine trees and sky

More pines and sky

As we were driving into the town of Peņasco, we pulled over to get a photo of this Black-billed Magpie.

On a nearby power pole, we also saw this Common Raven.

There were also some Brewer's Blackbirds on power lines and buildings in town.

Along with some European Starlings

This building with the old school bell on top attracted our attention.

Male House Finch

On the south edge of town, we found several more Black-billed Magpies.

This Black-billed Magpie flew down to the shoulder of the highway.

More magpies checked out a stack of burnt logs.

Four Black-billed Magpies

We only got sprinkled on as we drove back to the hotel and we got a nice double rainbow out of it.

We walked to dinner in downtown Santa Fe and passed this front yard sculpture along the way.

Mary, at dinner at La Casa Sena restaurant

Mary, Kay and Kraettli

Kent and Cheryl

Kay and Kraettli

Kay, Kraettli and Kevin

All of us, enjoying dinner at La Casa Sena, Santa Fe, NM