Tracy, John 1989 Journal Travel Day, Western New Mexico July 31 Red-winged Blackbird - 30 House Finch - 12 (Cnit) Meadowlark sp. - 5 Red Crossbill - Type II - 6 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 2 Pine Siskin - 12 Brewer's Blackbird - 20 Lesser Goldfinch - 30 Breast-tilled Thrackle - 18 American Goldfinch (Sunglass Jay) Brown-headed Cowbird - 30 House Sparrow - 15 N. "Butcher's" Oriole - 3 Mormon: DOR Neplitis & DOR Eithlynn near Mangas Springs Gila River near Cliff, Grant Co., New Mexico. Elev. 4500 ft August 1 From my camp on Cattle Company land, I returned early to Gila National Forest to the S. After 1/2 miles or so inside the Nat'l Forest, the road has been washed away. A trail continues downstream along the SE bank another 1-1/2 miles to the Bird Habitat Conservation Area. This area I visited from 06:30 - 09:00. This is spectacular Grand Cottonwood dominated riparian gallery woodland, with a nice admixture of willows, box elders, a few Arizona Walnuts, and a few other deciduous trees of unknown species. The large trees are 40-65' tall, many >3' dbh. The forest understory is really thick! In many places it is truly impenetrable to a machete. The river is up about 6" overnight due to yesterday's & last night's storms. I then returned to Cliff, where I obtained information on how to find the headquarters of the Pacific Western Land and Cattle Co., where I spoke to Laura Loacks. She granted permission for me to work on the property. I spent the day working the W bank of the Gila River from the Hwy 211 bridge north to about 1/2 miles upstream. Here the river banks seemed built up like levees, yet there was a strip of fine riparian gallery forest, with