INDEX

Status Report - Reptile and Amphibian Protection Bill
Audubon Birding Academy
Birding Academy Registration Form
Audubon Field Trip Reports
Audubon Adventures
Audubon Field Trip Schedule
Thursday Morning Birding Group
Conservation Corner
Mapping The Birds Of Summer
Great Backyard Bird Count
Festival of the Cranes, Bosque del Apache November 2000
And The Winner Is ...
"SNAKES ALIVE" ...
Walking Is For The Birds
Save Those Stamps
Some Comments About the Albuquerque Christmas Count

Status Report - Reptile and Amphibian Protection Bill

by Dave Henderson, Audubon State Director

AS WE GO TO PRESS, the bill is drafted and we have identified sponsors in both the House and Senate. The House sponsor will again be Rep. Ray Begaye from Shiprock. The Senate sponsor will be Sen. Michael Sanchez. As it stands now, we will start the bill on the House side. A piece of good news is that not only do we have the support of the Game and Fish Department, but we have just learned (in mid-January) that the Governor is okay with this legislation and will allow the Department to speak in favor of it in Committee.

I am currently working on identifying a lobbyist to help us with the bill. It is not too early to be letting our Representatives know of our interest in this legislation and get them to support it.

You can view the bill, as currently written, on the CNMAS website at http://www.newmexicoaudubon.org/cnmas. The bill is simple, giving the Department of Game and Fish the authority to regulate the take of Herps, but not requiring them to do so.

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The cost is $6.00 per class payable in advance or at the door. Preregister 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.

All 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 Reports

by Sei Tokuda

Sunday, December 3, 2000: Bosque del Apache
Twenty-one birders were out on one of the most beautiful December days in New Mexico - clear skies, clear roads and little wind. The sights of the day included great looks at Merlin's and Prairie Falcons, a Ferruginous Hawk, four Bald Eagles of varying ages in one binocular field, Verdins, etc. The bird of the day was the Rusty Blackbird that everyone saw in bright sunlight and from several vantage points. We saw over 75 species.

Sunday, January 14, 2001: Cochiti Lake
Eighteen birders showed up on a day that was supposed to be blustery and cold. It was cold, but with clear skies and very little wind. The major sightings were Bald Eagles, Common and Hooded Mergansers, Buffleheads, Western and Eared Grebes and Common Goldeneyes plus excellent views of a Curve-billed Thrasher. We saw over 35 species.

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Audubon Adventures

There's still time! National Audubon Society still has Audubon Adventures kits available for teachers. We are trying hard to boost the numbers of teachers in central New Mexico who receive the kit. Do you know of any teacher who may be interested? CNMAS has some funding available still this school year. Please contact Helen Haskell for more details.

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Audubon Field Trip Schedule

Saturday, February 3, 2001 - Las Vegas & Maxwell NWR
This can be a day trip or an overnight trip staying over in Springer, NM. The target birds will be the wintering raptors such as Rough-legged and Ferruginous Hawks, Bald Eagles, and Prairie Falcons as well wintering Tree Sparrows. Dress accordingly and bring lunch for Saturday. We will meet at 8 AM at the Far North Shopping Center behind the Village Inn at the NE corner Academy and San Mateo Blvd. Call Sei (266-2480) for details.

Saturday, March 10, 2001 - Monticello Point, Palomas Marsh & Caballo Dam State Park
This area is one of the most interesting birding place in NM. Birding is almost always good and finding unusual species is not uncommon. Bring lunch and dress accordingly. Rebecca Gracey will lead this trip. Meet at 7 AM at the UNM Physics Department parking lot (NE corner of Lomas and Yale Blvd NE). Call Rebecca (242-3821) or Sei for details.

Saturday, April 7, 2001 - Bosque del Apache
This is the first full weekend that the seasonal road at the refuge will be open to the public. The target birds will be the early spring migrating shorebirds. Meet at 7 AM at the UNM Physics Department parking lot for a full day of birding.

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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Conservation Corner

by Jeff Myers

The end of President Clinton's term has not been as advantageous as hoped. The Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA) was passed and signed only in a very watered-down form. It was to have placed spending from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) off-budget at a guaranteed level each year. In the watered-down version, spending is authorized at a certain level and for a certain amount, but Congressional appropriators still must approve all spending.

However, certain victories occurred as well. President Clinton approved a board of trustees for the former Baca Ranch (Valles Caldera / Valle Grande) that looks to be quite good. At the other end of the continent, he has added the Tongass National Forest to the wilderness roadless area policy enacted under his administration, which will provide protection against road building and logging as mandated for other wilderness areas.

As to the Bush administration, he has nominated Gale Norton for Secretary of the Interior. She was Colorado's Attorney General from 1991 to 1999. CNN further describes her as follows:

"A libertarian-leaning conservative who opposes most government regulation, Norton worked with controversial Reagan administration Interior Secretary James Watt in the Interior Department and earlier, at the conservative Mountain States Legal Foundation. During her prior work at Interior, she directed the legal staff of the National Park Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service."

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Mapping The Birds Of Summer

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.

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.

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4th Annual

February 16-19, 2001

A joint project of
National Audubon Society &
Cornell Lab of Ornithology

We Want To Know Where The Birds Are

Become A Citizen Scientist

Help Scientists To Define The Status Of Birds

Give Something Back To The Birds You Enjoy

Visit http://birdsource.cornell.edu/gbbc to get the details on how to count your backyard birds on February 16,17,18 and 19.
Need help? Check with the bird stores in our newsletter. They can answer questions, provide GBBC forms and help with filing your counts.

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Festival of the Cranes, Bosque del Apache November 2000

Peering through the 'port-hole,' a cloud of white and black rose up in front of me, circling around like smoke from a fire. Loud honking noises filled the air, white and black against the blue sky. As many thousand snow geese took off in front of me, I stood in the new Phil Norton blind at Bosque del Apache and thought about how lucky I was to be in such a beautiful place. Beyond the cloud of snow geese, the mountains rose up, the November sun starting to warm up the day, battling with the wind, while mergansers and bufflehead dove down for their food just beyond the reeds.

This year CNMAS volunteers were responsible for manning two areas at Bosque del Apache; the Phil Norton blind, and the Audubon tent. Highlights included the large numbers of wintering raptors and many thousands of geese, cranes, and ducks. Many thanks to all the Audubon volunteers who contributed their time and expertise in helping visitors locate and identify birds. We hope that you all will join us this coming fall at the refuge for this wonderful festival.

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And The Winner Is ...

... hard to choose among the creative and thought-provoking entries of Science Fair participants! But it's fun and rewarding, and we need your help! Come join other CNMAS members as judges on Friday, March 16, to choose the winners of the four cash awards that CNMAS presents. Please call or e-mail Helen to volunteer: 281-6453, helennm@yahoo.com. Thanks!

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"SNAKES ALIVE" ...

...is the title of an article by Jane Susan MacCarter in the Fall issue of Update, the newsletter of the Share With Wildlife program. Although the newsletter is published by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF), the Share With Wildlife program receives no funds from the NMDGF and is supported by donations only. It is dedicated to the conservation of ALL New Mexico's wildlife.

Jane's article caught our eye (and apparently, we caught hers!) when she reported that, after a State Game Commission ruling in March 2000, the Gray-banded Kingsnake became officially listed in New Mexico as an Endangered Species. The article continues: "Except for the new Game Commission ruling that prohibits 'take' (collection) of this species in New Mexico, our state has no law to protect other reptiles and amphibians... from widespread collection or habitat destruction. But these important and interesting animals do have friends in New Mexico, including the Department of Game and Fish, the Randall Davey Audubon Center, the New Mexico Audubon Council, and Animal Protection of New Mexico, all of whom promote conservation of native reptiles and amphibians."

Folks, we have the opportunity to present a united front for a win-win proposition. Voice your support for the proposed legislation protecting Amphibians and Reptiles. The "herps" will thank you - and we thank Jane.

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Walking Is For The Birds

The Friends of the Bosque del Apache has received permission to hold a noncompetitive 5K walkathon on the Bosque del Apache NWR. The event will be held on Saturday, March 3, 2001. The purpose of the walk is to raise funds for the Friend's educational and school outreach programs. The Board of Directors of the Friends asks for your help by sponsoring one of the walkers. Please call Steve Green at (505) 835-1828 for pledge forms and additional information.

Save Those Stamps

Don't forget to save your stamps for the Royal Society for the Protectionof Birds (RSPB). Help RSPB preserve wetlands by trimming 1/8 inch around canceled stamps and sending your collections to Allison Leon, 283 El Conejo, Los Alamos, NM 87544. She'll deliver them to England on her annual trip. Take your own trip by visiting www.RSPB.org.UK.

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Some Comments About the Albuquerque Christmas Count

by Hart R. Schwarz, compiler

This was a remarkable count in many ways; not only did we turn up more species than usual, but participants also came in droves, numbering in excess of 60, when feeder watchers are added in. There were at least a couple of discernible trends. Mountain birds descended into the valley, driven, in part, by lack of food. We had a modest array of "winter finches," but these did not constitute the bulk of the invasion, which mainly consisted of chickadees, nuthatches, creepers and even Steller's Jays.

The other even more surprising trend, especially during this more normal and wetter winter, was the tendency for several species to stay farther north than expected. Among these were a Common Yellowthroat and a Vermilion Flycatcher at the Rio Rancho Golf Course, and three species of swallow along the river, each one of which was without precedent on the Albuquerque Count.

Of course, the most spectacular "First" was a Streak-backed Oriole at a seed feeder in Corrales, that was first observed on December 9th and stayed on until about year's end. This is a Mexican species, only occasionally seen in Arizona and California, and now documented for NM as well, by several good video tapes.

Reports at feeders help us keep pace with the diversification of dove species in Albuquerque, but probably reflect only a small fraction of the "invasion" in progress. White-winged Doves are now widespread and well established, while Inca Doves are on the increase and present the year-round. The Eurasian Collared-Dove has been on our list for the second straight year, but is as yet only sporadic in Albuquerque.

The internet address for accessing all Christmas Counts is http://www.birdsource.org.

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