Hagerman Wildlife Refuge: Part 3

Bottomlands of Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge.

Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge is notable for its location within the Central Flyway. It is an active site for migratory resting and winter habitation for a number of birds, especially waterfowl. This time of year serves as the transition period for many bird species. Some like the Painted Bunting leave before August is even over, while the local Cliff Swallow colonies start fattening up on insect swarms before migrating at the end of September. During midsummer the species count is often over one hundred, but during migratory periods it easily exceeds that.