Birding in New Mexico
Riverside Recreation Area
Caballo, New Mexico 87931
Caballo Lake State Park webpage
Caballo Lake State Park map
Also, see Caballo Lake State Park
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eBird Hotspot
Caballo Lake SP–Riverside Recreation Area (below dam)
Coordinates: 32.8915794, -107.2956401
eBird links: Hotspot map – View details – Recent visits
My eBird links: Location life list – Submit data
The Riverside Recreation Area is south of the Caballo Reservoir dam on the Rio Grande.
Tips for birding Caballo Lake State Park
Caballo Lake State Park (5,326 acres) is located on Caballo Reservoir, a shallow lake about 12 miles south of Elephant Butte Reservoir along the Rio Grande. The lake, at an elevation of 4,100 feet, covers 11,500 acres of surface area and is about 25 feet at its deepest point. It provides excellent winter viewing of grebes, raptors, geese and ducks, quail, gulls, doves, owls, woodpeckers, phoebes, wrens, thrushes, thrashers, sparrows, and finches. The Caballo Christmas Bird Count (which includes Percha Dam and Animas Creek) usually has the highest number of species in New Mexico. Just below Caballo, the Rio Grande looks the way it did 100 years ago. It’s one of the best examples of riparian woodland left in the state.
Habitat: Narrow, quiet reservoir, flanked by bare, dun-colored mountains with screw-bean mesquite. Desert scrub and riparian woodland.
Directions: About 16 miles south of Truth or Consequences on I-25, take Exit 59. Turn onto NM-187 and follow signs to Caballo Lake State Park on left, less than 2 miles. The west shore of Caballo Lake has a paved road and two well-developed campgrounds for day or overnight use.
From Southwest New Mexico Birding Trail
About Caballo Lake State Park
Framed against the Caballo Mountains, this lake boasts an array of water recreation, such as boating, kayaking, canoeing, sailing, swimming, and fishing.
Choose from 170 campsites, with plenty of sites with utility hookups for RVs. There’s just as much to do off the water while hiking, horseback riding, birding, and picnicking.
From Caballo Lake State Park webpage
