Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Wildlife Sanctuary · United States

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Photo © mark byzewski

Photo © mark byzewski — CC BY 4.0 — Source: Wikimedia Commons

Across the high desert floor of southeastern New Mexico, where elevation and aridity shape every living thing, shallow alkaline lakes and marshes form an unexpected oasis in the BSk climate zone. Bitter Lake National Wildlife Sanctuary anchors this landscape—a mosaic of open water, salt flats, and semi-arid shrubland where winter temperatures plunge well below freezing and summer heat is tempered by the thin mountain air. The refuge's shallow basins and saline waters support specialized plant communities adapted to salt stress, while the surrounding desert scrub remains sparse and drought-resistant year-round. This combination of wetland and upland habitat creates a critical stopover and wintering ground for migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, and birds of prey, alongside year-round residents of the high desert. Small mammals, reptiles, and amphibians shelter in the marginal vegetation, while the open water itself teems with aquatic insects and fish species that form the foundation of the food web. The sanctuary's role as a desert wetland makes it ecologically vital in a region where permanent freshwater is scarce.

For wildlife photographers and dedicated birders, Bitter Lake demands a winter or early-spring visit, when migrating waterfowl congregate in numbers that transform the refuge into one of the region's most dynamic wildlife theaters. The low, crystalline light of the high desert renders every detail with extraordinary clarity, from the shimmer of wings across open water to the subtle plumage patterns of shorebirds working the mudflats. The refuge is accessible year-round and offers excellent vantage points from which to observe birds of prey hunting across open ground, as well as the concentrated flocks that use these shallow waters as a crucial fuel stop during their seasonal journeys. Even in the hotter months, when water levels drop and visibility can be challenging, the sanctuary rewards early-morning visits with sightings of desert-adapted species and insight into how wildlife persists in one of North America's most unforgiving landscapes.

Website fws.gov/refuge/bitter_lake

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Aquila chrysaetos

Fulvous Whistling Duck

Dendrocygna bicolor

Branta canadensis

Branta hutchinsii

Anser caerulescens

Greater White-fronted Goose

Anser albifrons

Cygnus columbianus

Spatula cyanoptera

Blue-winged Teal

Spatula discors

Northern Shoveler

Spatula clypeata

Mareca strepera

American Wigeon

Mareca americana

Anas platyrhynchos

Northern Pintail

Aythya valisineria

Aythya americana

Ring-necked Duck

Aythya collaris

White-winged Scoter

Melanitta deglandi

Bucephala albeola

Common Merganser

Mergus merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

Mergus serrator

Oxyura jamaicensis

Callipepla squamata

Meleagris gallopavo

Common Pheasant

Phasianus colchicus

Lesser Nighthawk

Chordeiles acutipennis

Common Nighthawk

Chordeiles minor

Black-chinned Hummingbird

Archilochus alexandri

Greater Roadrunner

Geococcyx californianus

Band-tailed Pigeon

Patagioenas fasciata

Eurasian Collared Dove

Streptopelia decaocto

Zenaida macroura

White-winged Dove

Zenaida asiatica

Rallus limicola

Porzana carolina

Fulica americana

Antigone canadensis

Pied-billed Grebe

Podilymbus podiceps

Podiceps auritus

Black-necked Grebe

Podiceps nigricollis

Aechmophorus occidentalis

Black-necked Stilt

Himantopus mexicanus

American Avocet

Recurvirostra americana

Pluvialis squatarola

American Golden Plover

Pluvialis dominica

Charadrius vociferus

Semipalmated Plover

Charadrius semipalmatus

Upland Sandpiper

Bartramia longicauda

Hudsonian Whimbrel

Numenius hudsonicus

Long-billed Curlew

Numenius americanus

Hudsonian Godwit

Limosa haemastica

Long-billed Dowitcher

Limnodromus scolopaceus

Gallinago delicata

Wilson's Phalarope

Phalaropus tricolor

Phalaropus fulicarius

Red-necked Phalarope

Phalaropus lobatus

Spotted Sandpiper

Actitis macularius

Solitary Sandpiper

Tringa solitaria

Lesser Yellowlegs

Tringa flavipes

Tringa semipalmata

Greater Yellowlegs

Tringa melanoleuca

Stilt Sandpiper

Calidris himantopus

Buff-breasted Sandpiper

Calidris subruficollis

Calidris alpina

Baird's Sandpiper

Calidris bairdii

Least Sandpiper

Calidris minutilla

White-rumped Sandpiper

Calidris fuscicollis

Pectoral Sandpiper

Calidris melanotos

Western Sandpiper

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Calidris pusilla

Sternula antillarum

Hydroprogne caspia

Chlidonias niger

Sterna forsteri

Thalasseus elegans

Franklin's Gull

Leucophaeus pipixcan

Ring-billed Gull

Larus delawarensis

American Herring Gull

Larus smithsonianus

Neotropic Cormorant

Nannopterum brasilianum

Double-crested Cormorant

Nannopterum auritum

American White Ibis

Eudocimus albus

White-faced Ibis

Roseate Spoonbill

American Bittern

Botaurus lentiginosus

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Nyctanassa violacea

Black-crowned Night Heron

Nycticorax nycticorax

Tricolored Heron

Egretta tricolor

Egretta rufescens

Butorides virescens

Great Blue Heron

American White Pelican

Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

Pandion haliaetus

Northern Harrier

Circus hudsonius

Mississippi Kite

Ictinia mississippiensis

Swainson's Hawk

Buteo swainsoni

Red-tailed Hawk

Buteo jamaicensis

Rough-legged Buzzard

American Barn Owl

Athene cunicularia

Great Horned Owl

Bubo virginianus

Belted Kingfisher

Megaceryle alcyon

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Dryobates scalaris

Northern Flicker

Colaptes auratus

American Kestrel

Falco sparverius

Falco columbarius

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Contopus cooperi

Western Wood Pewee

Contopus sordidulus

Willow Flycatcher

Empidonax traillii

American Dusky Flycatcher

Empidonax oberholseri

Vermilion Flycatcher

Pyrocephalus rubinus

Cassin's Kingbird

Tyrannus vociferans

Western Kingbird

Tyrannus verticalis

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Tyrannus forficatus

Ash-throated Flycatcher

Myiarchus cinerascens

White-eyed Vireo

Loggerhead Shrike

Lanius ludovicianus

Northern Shrike

Lanius borealis

Violet-green Swallow

Tachycineta thalassina

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Stelgidopteryx serripennis

Hirundo rustica

American Cliff Swallow

Petrochelidon pyrrhonota

Salpinctes obsoletus

Cistothorus palustris

Thryomanes bewickii

Northern Mockingbird

Mimus polyglottos

Oreoscoptes montanus

Toxostoma rufum

Curve-billed Thrasher

Toxostoma curvirostre

Crissal Thrasher

Toxostoma crissale

Common Starling

Sturnus vulgaris

Townsend's Solitaire

Myadestes townsendi

Catharus guttatus

Passer domesticus

Anthus rubescens

Haemorhous mexicanus

Lesser Goldfinch

Spinus psaltria

Cassin's Sparrow

Peucaea cassinii

Chondestes grammacus

Calamospiza melanocorys

Chipping Sparrow

Spizella passerina

Brewer's Sparrow

Spizella breweri

Red Fox Sparrow

Passerella iliaca

American Tree Sparrow

Spizelloides arborea

Dark-eyed Junco

White-crowned Sparrow

Zonotrichia leucophrys

Pooecetes gramineus

Savannah Sparrow

Passerculus sandwichensis

Melospiza melodia

Lincoln's Sparrow

Melospiza lincolnii

Melospiza georgiana

Pipilo maculatus

Pipilo erythrophthalmus

Yellow-breasted Chat

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus

Western Meadowlark

Sturnella neglecta

Red-winged Blackbird

Agelaius phoeniceus

Brown-headed Cowbird

Great-tailed Grackle

Quiscalus mexicanus

Orange-crowned Warbler

Leiothlypis celata

Common Yellowthroat

Geothlypis trichas

Northern Parula

Setophaga americana

Setophaga coronata

Wilson's Warbler

Cardellina pusilla

Western Tanager

Piranga ludoviciana

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Pheucticus ludovicianus

Cardinalis sinuatus

Spiza americana

Passerina caerulea

Common Goldeneye

Bucephala clangula

Hooded Merganser

Lophodytes cucullatus

Northern Bobwhite

Colinus virginianus

Common Poorwill

Phalaenoptilus nuttallii

Chaetura pelagica

Rufous Hummingbird

Selasphorus rufus

Broad-tailed Hummingbird

Selasphorus platycercus

Purple Gallinule

Porphyrio martinica

Aechmophorus clarkii

Short-billed Dowitcher

Limnodromus griseus

Bonaparte's Gull

Chroicocephalus philadelphia

Leucophaeus atricilla

California Gull

Larus californicus

Pomarine Jaeger

Stercorarius pomarinus

Mycteria americana

Plegadis falcinellus

Little Blue Heron

Egretta caerulea

White-tailed Kite

Elanus leucurus

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Accipiter striatus

Ferruginous Hawk

Short-eared Owl

Red-naped Sapsucker

Sphyrapicus nuchalis

Downy Woodpecker

Dryobates pubescens

Falco mexicanus

Sayornis phoebe

Sayornis nigricans

Least Flycatcher

Empidonax minimus

Hammond's Flycatcher

Empidonax hammondii

American Grey Flycatcher

Empidonax wrightii

Western Flycatcher

Empidonax difficilis

Eastern Kingbird

Tyrannus tyrannus

Plumbeous Vireo

Cyanocitta cristata

Woodhouse's Scrub Jay

Aphelocoma woodhouseii

Corvus brachyrhynchos

Chihuahuan Raven

Corvus cryptoleucus

Bombycilla cedrorum

Auriparus flaviceps

Eremophila alpestris

Riparia riparia

Tachycineta bicolor

Petrochelidon fulva

American Bushtit

Psaltriparus minimus

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Regulus satrapa

Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus

Northern House Wren

Troglodytes aedon

Blue-grey Gnatcatcher

Polioptila caerulea

White-breasted Nuthatch

Sitta carolinensis

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Sitta canadensis

Certhia americana

Dumetella carolinensis

Mountain Bluebird

Sialia currucoides

Western Bluebird

Sialia mexicana

Eastern Bluebird

Swainson's Thrush

Catharus ustulatus

Turdus migratorius

American Goldfinch

Thick-billed Longspur

Rhynchophanes mccownii

Chestnut-collared Longspur

Calcarius ornatus

Grasshopper Sparrow

Ammodramus savannarum

Black-throated Sparrow

Amphispiza bilineata

Clay-colored Sparrow

Spizella pallida

Black-chinned Sparrow

Spizella atrogularis

Spizella pusilla

White-throated Sparrow

Zonotrichia albicollis

Sagebrush Sparrow

Artemisiospiza nevadensis

Rufous-crowned Sparrow

Aimophila ruficeps

Green-tailed Towhee

Pipilo chlorurus

Icterus parisorum

Icterus spurius

Brewer's Blackbird

Euphagus cyanocephalus

Quiscalus quiscula

Seiurus aurocapilla

Northern Waterthrush

Parkesia noveboracensis

Leiothlypis luciae

Nashville Warbler

Leiothlypis ruficapilla

Virginia's Warbler

Leiothlypis virginiae

MacGillivray's Warbler

Geothlypis tolmiei

Setophaga citrina

American Redstart

Setophaga ruticilla

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Setophaga pensylvanica

Setophaga palmarum

Black-throated Grey Warbler

Setophaga nigrescens

Townsend's Warbler

Setophaga townsendi

Black-headed Grosbeak

Pheucticus melanocephalus

Passerina cyanea

Passerina amoena

Painted Bunting

Passerina ciris

Laterallus jamaicensis

Eurasian Whimbrel

Numenius phaeopus

Eastern Warbling Vireo

Mangrove Warbler

Setophaga petechia

Black-tailed Jackrabbit

Lepus californicus

Desert Cottontail

Sylvilagus audubonii

Spotted Ground Squirrel

Xerospermophilus spilosoma

Ondatra zibethicus

Brazilian Free-tailed Bat

Tadarida brasiliensis

Northern Raccoon

Odocoileus hemionus

White-tailed Deer

Odocoileus virginianus

Antilocapra americana

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