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Dec. 2002 - Jan./Feb. 2003
Vol. 32 No. 1
Table Of Contents (Please let the whole page load before clicking on the links.)
The Fifth Annual Audubon Birding Academy
January Program
CNMAS Field Trip Reports
CNMAS Field Trip Schedule
Thursday Morning Birding Group
CNMAS CBC (Comestibles, Birds, and Camaraderie) Plans
Important Bird Area Highlight
Thank You From Friends
Eagle Optics/CNMAS Partnership
The Fifth Annual Audubon Birding Academy
It's a class! It's entertainment! It's inspiration! And it's definitely birds! It's the CNMAS Annual Audubon Birding Academy, with instruction and more by experts who, yes, teach, entertain, and inspire. All classes are held at St. Timothy's Lutheran Church, NW corner of Copper and Jefferson NE, 7:15 p.m. The cost is $6.00 per class payable in advance or at the door. Pre-register for all three classes and the price is only $15.00. Mark your calendars and register early.
Go to Registration Page
February 20 - Gulls I - The Basics:
Bruce Neville, from UNM, lived in Florida for many years and has experience with both eastern and western gulls. This will be an introduction to the highly challenging world of gull identification. (Yes, there are gulls in New Mexico). February is the perfect time to learn about gulls. Many of the rarer gulls are here in the winter and it is also when we have the highest number of gulls in the state on the larger reservoirs. Learn how to tell a Franklin's from a Laughing Gull. Learn what gull is the gull with which all others should be compared.
March 20 - Taking Field Notes:
Many folks have requested a session on what to do when you see a bird in the field that 1) you can't identify or 2) you have identified as a rare bird for the state and want to have folks believe you. Audubon member Christopher Rustay, will go through a few pointers on taking notes in the field, how to write your notes up for the rare bird committee and also go through a short session on field drawings for documentation.
April 24 - Icterids:
A strange word for a group of birds which includes all the blackbirds, meadowlarks and orioles. Dave Krueper, a renowned bird biologist, now US Fish and Wildlife will explain the identification subtleties of the group of birds which many folks think are easy to identify. Do you know the differences between Eastern and Western Meadowlarks by sight? What about female orioles? April is a great time to study this group of birds as a few wintering species may still be around while summering birds are just arriving!
Go to Registration Page
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January Program
Free and open to all! Join us at 7:15 p.m. at St. Timothy's Lutheran Church, NW corner of Copper and Jefferson NE. Refreshments are on us!
Thursday, January 16
Flammulated Owl Migration Project
This fall, John DeLong of HawkWatch International and his crew conducted the second year of their full-time, nocturnal mist-netting program for migrating Flammulated Owls. Now John and helpers are "down from the mountain" at their site near Capilla Peak in the Manzano Mountins, with lots of valuable new data and results. Join us for close-up photos and exciting info about population and migration trends of this secretive little owl - the most common owl species in our state!
All Central New Mexico Audubon Society meetings and field trips are open to the public.
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CNMAS Field Trip Reports
compiled by Sei Tokuda
Saturday-Sunday, September 21-22: Rattle Snake Springs
Christopher Rustay of Central New Mexico Audubon lead a field trip to Rattlesnake Springs south of Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Thank goodness we began Saturday afternoon, as the next morning's birding was literally blown away by high winds. Almost forty species were seen between Rattlesnake Springs and a late afternoon visit to Lake Avalon. Highlights included Great Crested Flycatcher and Prairie Warbler! Other species included Swainson's Hawk, Forster's and Black Tern, Hammond's, Dusky, Least and Vermilion Flycatcher, Red-naped Sapsucker, Bell's Vireo, Phainopepla, Summer and Western Tanager, Black-throated Gray and Townsend's Warbler and Lincoln's Sparrow.
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CNMAS Field Trip Schedule
See also Local Christmas Bird Counts below
http://www.newmexicoaudubon.org/cnmas/trips.html
Saturday, December 7 Bosque del Apache
This trip will be led by Art Arenholz and would end some time in the late afternoon. The Bald Eagles are expected to be gaining in numbers and should be easily seen. Meet at 8 A.M. in the UNM Physics Department parking lot on the NE corner of Lomas and Yale Blvd. Bring food, snacks, water and dress appropriately for changes in the weather. Call Art (298-1724) for details.
Saturday, January 4, 2003 Bosque del Apache
If you miss Art Arenholz's December trip, here is another chance to see a great number of Bald Eagles, other raptors, Sandhill Cranes and waterfowl. The trip will again be led by Art and would end some time in the late afternoon. Meet at 8 A.M. in the UNM Physics Department parking lot on the NE corner of Lomas and Yale Blvd. Bring food, snacks, water and dress appropriately for changes in the weather. Call Art (298-1724) for details.
Saturday, January 18, 2003 - Ladd S. Gordon Waterfowl Complex in Bernardo
Meet at the UNM Physics parking lot just north of Lomas and Yale at 8:00 A.M. to car pool or at the entrance to the complex at 9:00 A.M. Bernardo is Located 50 miles south of Albuquerque. Our target birds will be waterfowl, Cranes, and raptors. We should be finished before noon. Call Rebecca Gracey (242-3821) for details.
Sunday, February 2, 2003 Corrales and the West Mesa
This is a great time to see the wintering sparrows in the bosque and on the West Mesa. This will be a half-day trip. Call Sei (266-2480) for details.
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Thursday Morning Birding Group
Weekly birding outings every Thursday. Meeting time and location, as well as duration, vary. Call Margaret Wallen at 341-0928 for details of outings.
Central New Mexico Audubon Society assumes no responsibility for injuries, personal or otherwise, incurred while attending society-sponsored activities and will not be held liable for such accidents. You attend at your own risk.
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CNMAS CBC (Comestibles, Birds, and Camaraderie) Plans
Local Christmas Bird Counts
Bosque del Apache NWR, Saturday, Dec. 14:
Meet Steve and Nancy Cox (swcox@spinn.net, 345-2385) at the Bosque del Apache Visitor Center at 7:00 a.m. Owl Bar burgers at the end of the day!
Albuquerque, Sunday, Dec. 15:
Meet Hart Schwarz at Corrales Shopping Center, NW corner of Coors and Alameda, at 7:15, or contact him at 266-1810 to get early assignment. Compilation party at 6:45 p.m. at Beth and Ron's, 898-8514. They'll have hot apple cider and hot posole - bring a dish to share!
Sandia Mountains, Sunday, Dec. 29:
Meet outside of Dion's at Four Hills shopping center (Central and Tramway). You may sign up early with Rebecca Gracey at mrgracey@earthlink.net, 242-3821. Wrap-up party back at Dion's in Four Hills at 5:00 p.m.
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Important Bird Area Highlight
Go to IBA New Mexico website
Name of New Mexico IBA: Otero and Cedro Canyons
County: Bernalillo
Nearest Town: Tijeras, New Mexico
Approx. Size: 2,000 acres
Contact Information: Cibola National Forest, Tijeras Ranger District
General Description: This site includes two canyons and associated ridges in the Manzanita mountains. Its slopes contain excellent examples of mature pinyon-juniper woodland and, secondarily, ponderosa pine forest. A cottonwood and willow-lined perennial stream flows through the bottom of Cedro canyon, often collecting in pools and spilling over rocky areas.
Ornithological Significance: During good cone-crop winters the slopes provide excellent resources for some winter finches and Clark's Nutcracker. The perennial stream provides a consistent water source for migrants during both spring and fall. The primary importance, however,is during the breeding season. Black-throated Gray Warbler relative abundance here far exceeds the highest abundance on any NM Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) route per point (1.9 birds vs. 0.16 birds). The site also contains high densities of Gray Flycatcher, Western Bluebird, Pygmy Nuthatch, Grace's Warbler and Virginia's Warbler - all NM Partners in Flight priority species.
Threats to Site: Currently managed by the Cibola National Forest on the Sandia Ranger district, there are no current major conservation concerns. Minor threats include the presence of some cowbirds, and rock-climbing on one cliff face within the area. Potential threats include increased firebreak activity which may reduce the canopy in pinyon-juniper woodland creating unsuitable conditions for Black-throated Gray Warbler and an increase in outdoor enthusiast use, especially mountain bikers and hikers going off trail. The site is relatively secure from encroaching development and concurrent habitat fragmentation.
Nomination By: Hart Schwarz, Central New Mexico Audubon. Data collected on 11-point transect once every year from 1992-1999 and follow-up area searches for nesting birds.
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Thank You From Friends
The Friends of the Rio Grande Nature Center want to thank CNMAS for your support of our Summer Wings Festival. We also would like to thank those who spent the day in the observation room identifying the birds on the pond for our visitors: Ruth Burstrom, Les Hawkins, Carol Higgins, Turtle-Bear Guillermo and Beth Hurst-Waitz. Our special thanks to Sei Tokuda for scheduling everyone and spending the day helping out. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Ginnie Silva and Charlotte Green, Coordinators
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Eagle Optics/CNMAS Partnership
We're excited to let you know that we have partnered up with Eagle Optics to help both you and us when you're selecting new birding optics. Next time you're shopping for those binoculars or scopes, log onto our website (www.newmexicoaudubon.org/cnmas) and click the Eagle Optics link. For every sale placed through our website, our chapter receives a 5% commission. That means extra funds for us to commit to Audubon Adventures or educational scholarships or any of the other projects you support through your Audubon/CNMAS membership! Happy birding through better optics!
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