Common Raven

Today I went on a field trip with some birders from the local Audubon Society in Albuquerque. We made our way up the Sandia Mountains, ultimately reaching the top at Sandia Crest and the Crest House. There we hiked trails in the hope to see a Three-toed Woodpecker. These birds are hard to find, but there had been recent reports of sightings in this area.
Unfortunately, we did not get any confirmed sightings, though a couple in our group thought they might have gotten a glimpse. All was not lost, however, as the scenery was beautiful and we did see and hear many birds. Most, however, were at a distance so I did not get many good photos, but I did a reasonable shot of a Hermit Thrush that I will post soon. The Hermit Thrush is a new bird for me and it has a beautiful, almost haunting song!
Another new bird, at least from a photography standpoint, was the Raven in the image above. This was taken along the highway on our way back from the field trip. I road back with local Audubon Society president Beth Hurst-Waitz and she was kind enough to stop and let me get out of her car and take a few pictures of the Raven. It had an interesting guttural call.