4/14 Oliver Lee Desert Garden & Walk Down Dog Canyon

I really like this state park more than most of the others I have been staying at in New Mexico.  On this day, I decided to take a short walk down Dog Canyon, which begins near the closed Visitor Center.  However, on the way, I found this small cactus garden.  And the best part was that some of the cactus were starting to bloom.  

 

 

Anyone know who this guy is??  He is mostly brown with a curved beak.  I think he might be a curved-bill thrasher.

I believe this is a hedgehog cactus.

Wouldn't this one be gorgeous in a yard?  I think it is a claret-cup cactus.

Another claret-cup cactus. 

Dog Canyon has a small spring in it and that results in a tiny creek.  When this was a ranch, there was a small dam that collected water in the canyon.   

This is a desert grasslands whiptail.  He did not like his photo being taken, so scurried off as fast as he could.

This is the trail down the canyon.  Actually, I called this a walk instead of a hike as it only goes maybe 500', but you can tell from the greenery that there is water here.

I did not get a good photo of this guy's face because he flew off right away, but his back colors identify him as a yellow-eye junko.  My bird book says he is a kind of sparrow.

I have no idea what these are, but they were growing at the edge of the little stream.

The water is crystal clear here.  No wonder this place attracts a lot of birds.