Hagerman Wildlife and Fish

Waterfowls are both conspicuous and abundant at Hagerman WMA. In recent winters, wildlife biologists have counted as many as 55,000 ducks and 4,000 Canada geese on WMA ponds, marshes and waterways. Mallards, gadwalls, redheads, ruddy ducks and Canada geese commonly nest and raise young on Hagerman WMA. Other migratory waterfowl include tundra and trumpeter swans, northern pintails, American wigeon, cinnamon and green-winged teal, lesser scaup and ring-necked ducks.

A variety of wading and shorebirds nest at Hagerman WMA, while others stop only briefly before continuing their northward migration. Black-crowned night herons, great blue herons, Virginia rails, American avocets and spotted sandpipers are just some of these species. Two upland game bird species call Hagerman WMA home - the ring-necked pheasant and California quail. These birds are often seen moving along the edges of open fields next to dense cover.

Ospreys, bald eagles, peregrine falcons and rough-legged hawks are seasonal guests to Hagerman WMA, while screech and sort-eared owls, red-tailed hawks and northern harriers nest and raise their young on WMA lands. Marsh wrens, rufous-sided towhees and numerous warbler species find sanctuary within Hagerman WMA’s riparian areas, while horned larks, vesper sparrows and northern orioles feed and nest among upland and wooded habitats.

Mule deer are common, feeding in the irrigated fields and resting in the heavy cover and rough breaks of the WMA. Red fox, coyotes, badgers, cottontail rabbits and yellow-bellied marmots are upland residents of Hagerman WMA. River otter, beaver, muskrat, mink and other furbearers are found in and around Hagerman’s ponds, marshes and waterways.

Rock outcrops and warm summer temperatures make Hagerman WMA a haven for reptiles and amphibians. Striped whip snakes, western rattlesnakes and gopher snakes hunt among rock-strewn boulder fields, while side-blotched, western whiptail and sagebrush lizards bask in the late afternoon sun. Western and Great Basin spadefoot toads inhabit moist areas, and bullfrogs and Pacific tree frogs add their voices to Hagerman’s Wildlife symphony.