Birding Hot Spot:
A & G Turf Farms and 2 South Valley Gems
by Nancy Stotz
with contributions from Cathy Sandell & Tim Lawton

Located west of El Paso, near Santa Teresa, the turf farms are an anomalous patch of green on the desert mesa. These irrigated circles attract birds year-round, though some of the best birding occurs in fall and winter. In winter, large flocks of Horned Larks, meadowlarks, Killdeer, blackbirds, and several sparrow species can be found, with Chestnut-collared and McCown’s Longspurs showing up fairly regularly. Rarities like Sprague’s Pipit and Baird’s Sparrow have been reported in winter as well. In the fall, many migrants rest at these fields, including Long-billed Curlews, Upland Sandpipers, American Pipits, and Mountain Bluebirds.

Though the biggest flocks appear in fall and winter, a trip to the turf farms can be productive during the warmer months too, especially if you take the scenic route (see Alternate Directions below) and visit the heron rookery and swallow colony on your way.

Directions: The fastest way to get to the turf farm is to take advantage of the brand new highway to the border crossing at Sunland Park. Drive south toward El Paso on I-10. Leave the interstate at Exit #8, Artcraft Road, and turn right to head west on Texas Highway 178 (which eventually turns into New Mexico Highway 136). About 6 miles west of the interstate, the highway begins to climb out of the river valley; about 7 miles from the freeway, take the first right on the mesa top (Airport Road). From Airport Road, take the first left (Industrial Road). In six-tenths of a mile the pavement turns left heading toward the port of entry; you want to go straight on the dirt road, past the water tower. To turn into the fields, take the first major dirt road to the left (about .3 mile after you leave the pavement). There are three grass circles, one to the left of this entrance road and two more up on the hill to the right. When you visit the turf farms, please keep your vehicle on the main roads and stay off the grass; also be aware that you may need to move your vehicle out of the way of heavy machinery that needs to reach the fields.

Alternate directions to include South Valley Gems: A more leisurely route to the turf farms that will let you enjoy the agricultural vistas and small historic towns in the river valley starts by following Highway 28 south from Mesilla. As you follow Highway 28 south, watch out for the tricky intersection about 1 Ω miles south of La Mesa (home of Chope’s, a popular destination for home-made Mexican food); to stay on Highway 28, make sure you veer right at this intersection, instead of heading straight (east) on Highway 189. About 7 miles south of this intersection, you’ll hit the first South Valley Gem, a heron rookery. Just south of the intersection of Highway 28 and Highway 186, there’s a stand of large trees on the west side of Highway 28, easily observed from the highway shoulder. A variety of nesting herons and egrets can be observed in late spring and early summer.

The second South Valley Gem, a swallow colony which includes both Cave and Cliff Swallows, is less than two miles south on Highway 28. A mile and a half south of the rookery, you’ll encounter a stop sign at Gadsen High School. Continue south º mile, watching for a lone pine tree on the east side of the highway. When you reach the pine, you should see a bridge over the irrigation ditch that parallels the highway. The colony is under this bridge and should be active starting sometime in April. To observe the swallows, it seems to work best if you stay in your car, since the swallows often perch on the wires near the bridge when undisturbed.

To reach the turf farms from the swallow colony, continue south on Highway 28 for 5.7 miles. At the Y intersection with Highway 273, veer right, and follow Highway 273 for 4.7 miles as it zig-zags south and west. At Highway 136, turn right, climb up out of the river valley, and turn right onto Airport Road. Consult the preceding Directions to get from Airport Road to the turf farms.