J. Grott 1986 journal 92. 31 May I had set up a mist net for crossbills the previous evening, and stretched it out with 367 at 390 for decoys at first light. No crossbills were encountered during the entire morning, and I dismantled the net and left the area by 12:00. Birds here were Townsend's Solitaires, Rufous-sided Towhees, - Brown-headed Wheatch, Hairy Woodpecker, Mountain Chickadee among others. The weather remained surprisingly good here, but it was obvious that this was a mere 3-4 square mile sunny patch that seemed to last most of the morning, as the clouds merely built up rather than pass over. The rain drifted-in on occasion by mid-morning. I then left the area and drove up Hwy 26 to look for crossbills elsewhere. This highway (76) merged with Hwy 3 (towards Las Vegas, NM) and I followed it E for about 8 miles. Here I had planned to search the higher slopes of the Sangre de Cristo range. The road was the one headed N to Black Lake, over a pass of about 11,000 feet.