INDEX

Christmas Bird Count 2000
Local Christmas Bird Counts
Statewide and Neighboring Christmas Counts
These People Are For the Birds!
Audubon Field Trips
Audubon Programs
Thursday Morning Birding Group
Audubon Birding Academy
Audubon Field Trip Report
Conservation Through the Arts
Council Corner - October 2000
Audubon Adventures
Mapping the Birds of Summer
Fuzzy Math In NYC = $$$ For CNMAS
Cnmas Online
Burrowing Owl Subscription

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT 2000

This winter marks the 101st year that Auduboners and other volunteers will spend a day in winter counting every bird they see within a specific time and space. Not only a social event, this outing has developed into the longest-running citizen science research ever. As the oldest ornithological survey, Audubon's Christmas Bird Count database has helped scientists monitor the health of bird species, pinpoint and explain trends, and detect the rise of environmental threats. This year, join us as we continue the tradition. Everyone from brand-new beginners to seasoned experts is welcome. Contact the leader to sign up to participate. Audubon requests a $5 contribution from each participant, payable to National Audubon Society, which goes toward the cost of compiling Christmas count data. Count results are posted on the joint Audubon/Cornell University Website at http://birdsource.cornell.edu - maybe warmer and cozier, but not nearly as much fun!

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Local Christmas Bird Counts

Albuquerque - Sunday, December 17
Contact Hart Schwarz, 266-1810
Meet at Corrales Shopping Center, NW corner of Coors and Alameda, 7:15 a.m. sharp. Compilation party at 6:45 at the home of Beth and Ron, 898-8514. Bring your day's list and a dish to share!

Bosque del Apache NWR, Socorro - Saturday, December 16
Contact Steve/Nancy Cox, 345-2385 or swcox@flash.net
Meet at Refuge Headquarters, 7:00 a.m. Owl Bar afterward for treats and tallies.

Sandia Mts. east of Albuquerque - Saturday, December 30
Contact Rebecca Gracey, 242-3821 or mrgracey@earthlink.net
Meet at 7:30 at Dion's in Four Hills Shopping Village at Central and Tramway. Meet back at Dion's at 5:00 p.m. for compilation party.

Sevilleta NWR East (Five Points) - Thursday, December 14
Sevilleta NWR West - Wednesday, December 20
Contact Steve/Nancy Cox, as above
Meet at Refuge Headquarters, 6:00 a.m., on both days. Exit 169 off I-25, roughly 50 miles south of Albuquerque. Counts should last until roughly 3:00 p.m.

Remember these dates can change, so check with the compiler for last-minute information.

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Statewide and Neighboring
Christmas Counts

Remember these dates can change, so check with the compiler for last-minute information. There may be cancellations due to weather conditions. New Mexico area code is 505.

Friday, December 15:

Maxwell NWR - Linda Mowbray, 989-8295 or lgmow@swcp.com
West Texas - Guadalupe NP - Steve West as below

Saturday, December 16:

Carlsbad Caverns NP - Steve West, 885-3636 or wthrswift@carlsbadnm.com
Dixon - Bob Weber, 737-9439
Farmington - Alan Nelson, 325-8619
Las Cruces - Gordon Ewing, 522-3934 or gewing@nmsu.edu and Tim Lawton, tlawton@nmsu.edu
Roswell (and Bitter Lake NWR) - Sherry Bixler, 622-0597 or bbixler@plateautel.net
Ruidoso - Anita Powell, 257-5352 or flicker@lookingglass.net
Silver City - Roland Shook, 388-3441 or shookr@silver.nmwu.edu
Zuni - John Trochet, of Sacramento, CA, 916-736-3560 or gtrochet@ix.netcom.com

Sunday, December 17:

Bluewater Lake - Bruce Pataky, 862-7679 or redtruck@cia-g.com
Questa - Bob Weber, 737-9439

Saturday, December 23:

Santa Fe - Pat Insley, 982-0796

Wednesday, December 27:

Clayton - Chris Rustay, 255-7786 or chrustay@ix.netcom.com
La Luz in Otero County - John Mangimeli, 479-4102 or mangimeli@zianet.com

Saturday, December 30:

Caballo Lake area - Barry Zimmer of El Paso, TX, 915-821-6737 or bzimmer@aol.com
Gila River at Cliff/Gila - Roland Shook as above
Las Vegas - George Blanchardat, 757-8828

Sunday, December 31:

Espanola - Bernard Foy, 820-1658 or bdfoy@newmexico.com
Peloncillo Mountains near Rodeo - Alan Craig of Portal, AZ, 520-558-2220 or narca@vtc.net
Santa Rosa - Bill West in Santa Fe, 473-2780 or wingswes@aol.com

Call Sandy Williams, 827-9914 or Pat Snider, 323-9323, pinyonjay@juno.com for sites not listed.

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These People Are For The Birds!

   We can take local pride in national recognition of the accomplishments and dedication of Christopher Rustay, one of New Mexico's most beloved, well-known, and active birders. Lucky for CNMAS, Christopher moved from Santa Fe to Albuquerque about two years ago and has been sharing his time, talents and energy with us ever since. True to Christopher's universality, he's maintained close contact with our Santa Fe partners in Audubon by being the state coordinator of the Audubon - New Mexico Important Bird Areas program out of Randall Davey Audubon Center. He's on the board of directors of CNMAS and a representative to the New Mexico Audubon Council. He's also the coordinator of the Partners in Flight program in New Mexico and is employed by Hawks Aloft. And he still finds time to go birding! Christopher was featured in the September-October issue of Audubon Magazine as "A Man For All Birds." Don't miss this article on Page 135, and don't miss the opportunity to go birding with Christopher - he's a wonderful teacher, generous with his time and his knowledge, his humor and his passion. Thank you, Christopher!

   John Flicker, president of National Audubon Society, was featured in People Magazine in their September 11 issue. Check it out! Heralded as "one of the nation's premier environmentalists," John revealed his first wow experience, at the age of 10, in the interview: "I remember watching this big flock of snow geese come in in a V formation. They circled and landed on a freshly plowed field. It was a black field with big white birds and it was just the most amazing thing. It made me think of a bigger world out there."

   Carl Safina, vice president for marine conservation at the National Audubon Society, was one of only two conservationists among the 25 individuals recently honored with $500,000 grants from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Carl was cited for his efforts in alerting the public to the crisis in marine resources in his now-famous book, Song for the Blue Ocean. The marine crisis issue was featured in the May-June 1998 issue of Audubon Magazine. (And by the way, so was David Sibley!)

   There are 550,000 of us in Audubon. There are about 1400 of us in this chapter. We're in it for the birds. Come be active and help us make a difference.

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Audubon Field Trips

Sunday, December 3, 2000 - Bosque del Apache
This is our annual trip to see the wintering birds in all of their grandeur. This will be a day trip. Dress appropriately for the changing weather conditions and bring lunch. Meet at 8 AM at the UNM Physics Department parking lot (NE Corner of Lomas and Yale Blvd.). Call Sei at 266-2480 for details.

Sunday, January 14, 2001 - Cochiti Lake
Cochiti Lake can be full of surprises at this time of year. This will be a half day trip. Dress warmly. Meet at 8 AM at the Far North Shopping Center behind the Village Inn (NE corner of Academy and San Mateo Blvd.).

Saturday, January 27, 2001 - South of Belen and Casa Colorado
This area has been noted for its sightings of Harlan's and Ferruginous Hawks as well as Sandhill Cranes and several species of waterfowls. This could be a half-day or all day trip depending on the weather conditions. Dress warmly. Meet at the UNM Physics Department parking lot at 7:30 AM.

Early February, 2001
This will be our annual weekend trip to the Las Vegas and Maxwell NWRs to see the wintering raptors - eagles, falcons and Rough-winged and Ferruginous Hawks. Call Sei for definite date and meeting time.

Audubon Programs

December: No Program
See you at the Christmas Bird Counts!

January 18, Thursday:
Audubon Welcomes New Refuge Manager
"A flagship refuge for not only the Southwest but the entire country" - those are Jim Savery's own words to describe our beloved Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. Let us welcome Jim as he shares his vision for the Refuge, reviews its ongoing programs, and excites us with challenges and goals for the future. Program begins 7:30 p.m., with light refreshments at 7:15 p.m. at St. Timothy's Lutheran Church (Copper and Jefferson).

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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 291-1595 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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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. New This Year: A Raffle of Birding Gear, including videos, books, totes, backpacks, and more! One free raffle ticket to every registrant!

Drawing date to be announced. Registration forms available after January 1st at birding stores and the Rio Grande Nature Center. Or send your check now, payable to CNMAS, to Ron Waitz, Treasurer, to register.

Classes take place the 3rd Thursday in February, March and April, at 7:15 p.m., St. Timothy's Lutheran Church (Copper and Jefferson).

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Audubon Field Trip Report

Sunday, September 17, 2000: Corrales Bosque
We birded the Corrales Road on a clear, bright, and almost cool day. Most of the birds were seen going north along the ditch bank at the east end of Romero Road. The notable species were the Wilson's, Orange-crowned, Virginia's, Yellow-rumped and Townsend Warblers, a few Golden-crowned Kinglets, the White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatches, and the Blacked-capped and Red-breasted Chickadees and a Spotted Sandpiper. There were very few species of waterfowl.

Saturday, October 28, 2000: Bosque del Apache
Eight intrepid birders came out on a day which was supposed to be rainy and breezy. Fortunately, the weather was not as bad as predicted. There was some rain, but not enough dampen the spirits of the birders. The best birds of the day were the Peregrine and Merlin's Falcons. It was not a good day to identify the Ross' Goose.

Sunday, November 12, 2000: Las Vegas NWR
Sixteen birders showed up on a cold and sometimes bitter cold day and were treated to some excellent sightings. Because it was a Sunday afternoon in November, we were allowed to go on the four-mile loop that starts from the headquarter building. Among the notables were the magnificent raptors (Bald Eagle, Rough-legged and Ferruginous Hawks) plus a pair of White-winged Scoters and a loon that was identified by some to be a Pacific Loon.

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Conservation Through The Arts

Congratulations to Phillip Ortiz of Los Lunas for winning 2000 Best of Show for his portrait of a pair of Cinnamon Teal in New Mexico's Junior Duck Stamp Contest. Central New Mexico Audubon gives financial support to this worthwhile program that encourages conservation, education, and art appreciation for students in grade school through high school.

The deadline for the 2001 Junior Duck Stamp Contest is March 15, 2001. Call Bosque del Apache NWR (505) 835-1828 for information about scholarships and awards, teacher's packets, videos and books for loan, and presentations at your school. If you want to help Audubon help Junior Duck Stamp contestants, call Ron, our treasurer, at 898-8514.

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Council Corner - October 2000

The New Mexico Audubon Council met in October at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge. The major topics of discussion were:
(1) that 86 Important Bird area nominations have been received, and the process of making selections is now occurring
(2) that a coalition has been formed with Hawks Aloft (and hopefully, other interested organizations) to submit a proposal to the State for a New Mexico Birding Trail
(3) that a bill to protect native reptiles and amphibians from commercial take will be introduced in the 2001 New Mexico legislative session.

Auduboners in New Mexico have been working for years - unsuccessfully so far - to get a bill passed that protects native amphibians and reptiles from uncontrolled harvesting and exportation/exploitation for commercial purposes. Several of our state Audubon leaders met this fall with the New Mexico Game Commission and received the Commission's preliminary approval of a rewrite of our proposed legislation. This is a positive development! With the support of the Game Commission, whose members are appointed by Governor Johnson, we believe we'll have enough supporters in the legislature to get a bill to the Governor's desk. Please write to Governor Johnson NOW urging his support for the Act Protecting Amphibians and Reptiles, as recommended and endorsed by HIS State Game Commission. (Consider it a Christmas card for the wildlife of New Mexico!)

The next meeting of the Audubon Council will be at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 27, 2001. The focus will be on education. All Auduboners are encouraged to attend - call me for more details!

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Audubon Adventures

Audubon Adventures, so far this school year, has reached almost twenty elementary and middle school teachers. Both public and private schools have received the kit in the Albuquerque and Zuni areas. CNMAS still has funding available for many more teachers and schools to receive this kit. If you know of a teacher or class who would benefit from this educational resource, please contact Helen Haskell at 281-6453 or helennm@yahoo.com.

Thank you to everybody who has contributed to the Audubon Adventures funding so far:

The Thursday Birders
Jean Dilley
Katherine B. Hauth
Karen and James Phippard
Paul E. Stubbe
Lillian Tenopyr
Sei Tokuda
Beth and Ron Waitz
Wildlife Rescue, Inc., through Stephanie Mitchell

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Mapping The Birds Of Summer

In the summer of 2000, 21 volunteers began observations for the New Mexico Breeding Bird Atlas Project. During the next 5 to 7 years, observations will be collected in approximately 500 blocks to map New Mexico's breeding birds. Atlas fieldwork will focus on observations that document breeding. For example, observations of adults feeding recently fledged young are some of the most valuable observations because they confirm breeding. Observations of courtship are also important, but only show that breeding is probable. Observations of singing males only suggest possible breeding. The target for the atlas is to confirm breeding in 50% of the species in all 500 blocks.

Using nearly identical methods, over 40 atlases have been completed or are underway in North America. Colorado published its atlas in 1998. Both Nevada and Arizona completed fieldwork for their atlases in 2000. Atlas work is considered so valuable that New York State started its second atlas in 2000.

The New Mexico Breeding Bird Atlas Project needs volunteers of all birding abilities. If you are interested in being a volunteer please contact Stephen Fettig at (505) 662-6785 or osprey@cybermesa.com for more information. Volunteers will be able to select atlas blocks on a first come basis starting in January 2001.

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Fuzzy Math In NYC = $$$ For CNMAS

We recently received a notice from the National Audubon office that our chapter treasury will receive $30 for every new member recruited by our chapter during the months of November and December. Since the cost of a first-year memberhip is either $15 (student, senior) or $20, we're not exactly sure what the birdbrains (sorry, NAS) in New York are up to - but we'll take it!

SO - If you have any neighbors, relatives, colleagues, friends in our Chapter area who need Audubon in their lives or in their Christmas stockings, THIS IS THE TIME! Good for new members, good for CNMAS, good for you - sign up! It's better than a partridge in a pear tree!

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CNMAS Online

Webmaster Jeff Myers maintains the CNMAS website at:
http://www.newmexicoaudubon.org/cnmas

• Link to various birding resources and articles
• Learn about our adopted wildlife refuges: Bosque del Apache and Sevilleta
• Read the Burrowing Owl online
• Join the CNMAS

Burrowing Owl Subscription

You can subscribe to our newsletter without being a member of our chapter. In fact, if you live outside our region you will have to subscribe separately in order to receive the newsletter. The Burrowing Owl Newsletter is published six times a year, February, April, June, August, October and December. Subscription is free to Central New Mexico Audubon Society members, $12 to nonmembers. Send checks to: Central New Mexico Audubon Society, 804 Guadalupe Circle, N.W., 87114-1710.

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