Steve West

Inventory of High Elevation Breeding Birds at Carlsbad Caverns National Park Steve West

Carlsbad Caverns National Park (NP) contains high elevation areas with mesic vegetation communities that are spatially isolated in a generally arid region. The high elevation areas of the park are remote, rugged, and difficult to access, and have a low visitation rate. Thus, little information has been compiled on the presence, distribution, or relative abundance of high country breeding birds in the park. This stands in stark contrast with lowland areas such as Rattlesnake Springs, a desert riparian oasis that is heavily birded and from which over 300 species have been recorded.