AUDUBON THURSDAY BIRDERS SCHEDULE Autumn 2014

[Rosyfinch]

Because Cienega Canyon is closed for a forest restoration project the Aug. 14 outing will be to the adjacent Sulphur Canyon. Meeting time and place are the same: 7:50 a.m. at Four Hills.

AUDUBON THURSDAY BIRDERS SCHEDULE

Autumn 2014

TO CHECK FOR POSSIBLE TRIP CANCELLATIONS, go to the Audubon web site: http://www.newmexicoaudubon.org/cnmas.
Click on TRIPS, then go to THURSDAY BIRDERS.

SEPTEMBER 4
Drive to Las Huertas Canyon on the north side of the Sandia Mountains for a potluck picnic lunch with Rebecca Gracey: [e-mail], 505-242-3821. Meet at 8:50 a.m. for a 9:00 departure from the center of the parking lot in the Far North Shopping Center located on the east side of San Mateo and the north side of Academy.  Las Huertas is reached by driving north on I-25 then taking exit 242 to Placitas. A secondary meeting place will be the large USFS parking area at the west entrance to Forest Loop Road on the south side of NM 165, 2.8 miles after exiting I-25.  Meet at that location at 9:15 a.m.
Drive east on NM 165 through Placitas for nine miles of paved road, and then for four miles of unpaved road, slow driving but suitable for all types of vehicles, to the lower parking lot of the Los Huertas Picnic Area. People are asked to bring a dish to share with the group plus any meats or vegetables one may want to grill on the three grills that will be lit. Canned iced tea, paper plates and eating utensils will be provided.
A $3 parking fee or Federal Pass is required per car. For those not driving the shared gas expense is $2.50 at five cents per mile. The trip should end in the early afternoon.

SEPTEMBER 11
Hike the Ellis Trail in the Sandia Mountains with Lannois Neely: 505-890-7881, [e-mail]. Meet at 7:50 a.m. for an 8:00 departure from the west side of the Four Hills Shopping Village on Central Avenue between Juan Tabo and Tramway Boulevard or 8:45 at the Ellis Trail parking lot. The walk is one mile in length over fairly level terrain and will end before noon. A $3 parking fee or Federal Pass is required per car. For those not driving, the shared gas expense is $3 at five cents per mile.

SEPTEMBER 18
View the Belen Marsh and then visit the Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area with Linda Heinze: 505-565-1441, [e-mail]. Meet at 7:50 a.m. for an 8:00 departure from the parking lot behind the Hawthorne Suites on Gibson and University Boulevard or 8:30 at the marsh. To reach the marsh, take Exit 195 to Belen from I-25. Drive east one mile to the Taco Bell parking lot on the south. The hike at WWCA is an easy 1.5 mile walk. Lunch will be at El Rancho de Valencia in Los Lunas on NM 6 near the intersection with NM 314.  For those not driving the shared gas expense is $4 at five cents per mile.  

SEPTEMBER 25
Travel to the Randall Davey Audubon Center in Santa Fe with Lefty Arnold: 505-514-9398, [e-mail] Meet at 8:17 for an 8:27 departure from the center of the parking lot in the Far North Shopping Center located on the east side of San Mateo and the north side of Academy. Bring lunch. For those not driving the shared gas expense is $6 at five cents per mile. The group should be back in Albuquerque in the mid afternoon.

OCTOBER 2
Drive to Cochiti Lake with Judy Liddell: 505-271-0912, [e-mail]. Meet at 7:50 a.m. for an 8:00 departure from the center of the parking lot in the Far North Shopping Center located on the east side of San Mateo and the north side of Academy. The group will access the lake from NM 16 in order to take the Tetilla Peak Road on the north side of the lake. People can meet the group on NM 16 at the turn off to Tetilla Peak at 8:30. Bring lunch. For those not driving the shared gas expense is $5 at five cents per mile. The main part of the trip will end after lunch. For those that are interested, there will be the option of driving through Pena Blanca after lunch. The group should be back in Albuquerque in the mid afternoon.

OCTOBER 9
View the Bigtooth Maples in the Fourth of July Campground area in the Manzano Mountains with Bonnie Long: 505-379-1985, [e-mail]. Meet at 8:50 a.m. for a 9:00 departure from the west side of the Four Hills Shopping Village on Central Avenue between Tramway and Juan Tabo or meet Bonnie at the intersection of NM 337 and NM 55 at 9:50. There will be a one-mile walk up the trail and back. Bring lunch. A parking fee of $7 per vehicle is required at the campground, $3.50 with a Federal Pass. For those not driving, the shared gas expense is $5 at five cents per mile. The group should be back in Albuquerque by mid afternoon.

OCTOBER 16
Hike the Open Space at the east end of Copper in the foothills of the Sandias with Barbara Hussey: 505-385-1165, [e-mail].  Meet at 8:30 a.m. in the parking areas along Copper for an easy 1 ½ -mile walk ending before noon.

OCTOBER 23
Walk around the Albuquerque Open Space Visitor Center and nearby bosque with Maurice Mackey: 505-897-0415, [e-mail].  
Meet at 8:30 a.m. in the center’s parking lot on the east side of Coors Boulevard. The entrance road is located north of Montano Road and south of Paseo del Norte. It will be an easy 1 ½ - mile walk. The trip will end before noon.

OCTOBER 30
Visit Valle del Oro National Wildlife Refuge in the South Valley with Becky Purvis: 505-877-2517, [e-mail]. Meet at 8:30 a.m. at the south end of the refuge on Salida Sandia at the intersection with the interior drain road. The refuge is accessed from Albuquerque by driving south on I-25, taking the Rio Bravo Exit, and turning south on 2nd Street. Drive 3.4 miles south to Salida Sandia. After driving and walking about a mile on the refuge, the group will visit the Brent Baca Memorial Frisbee Golf Course near Montessa Park where there are ponds. The trip will end before noon.

NOVEMBER 6
Walk around the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park with Leah Henzler: 505-293-0191, [e-mail]. Meet at 9:00 at the Candelaria Wetland Blind in the Northeast corner of the Nature Center parking lot. A $3 parking fee, State Parks Pass, or Friends of the RGNC Pass is required per car. Both passes may be purchased inside the Visitor Center after 10:00. The walk will end before noon.

NOVEMBER 13
Walk the perimeter of Los Poblanos Open Space with Judy Liddell: 505-271-0912, [e-mail]. Meet at 9:00 a.m. in the Open Space parking lot. To reach the fields turn north from Montano Boulevard onto Tierra Viva, east of the Rio Grande River. There is a sign for Rio Grande Community Farms. It will be an easy one-mile walk ending before noon.

NOVEMBER 20
No Trip is planned. Enjoy the Festival of the Cranes at the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. www.friendsofthebosque.org

NOVEMBER 27
No Trip – Thanksgiving Holiday

OTHER BIRDING OPPORTUNITIES:
Festival of the Cranes, November 18 - 23, at the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, 20 miles south of Socorro, NM. For registration information go to www.friendsofthebosque.org and click on Festival of the Cranes.

Visit the hawk watch site on Capilla Peak in the Manzano Mountains, August 26- November 4. For more information go to www.hawkwatch.org or call 800-726-4295. Forest Road 245 out of the town of Manzano requires a high-clearance vehicle and the 0.7 mile walk from the parking area is a Class 3 hike, climbing to 9,300 feet. It can be cold and windy.  

Central New Mexico Audubon Society has occasional weekend field trips. These are found on the CNMAS web site, www.newmexicoaudubon.org/cnmas and in the Burrowing Owl publication of CNMAS.

During September and the first week in October there are Tuesday morning bird walks in the Sandia Mountains sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service. Meet at the Sandia Ranger Station at 8:00 a.m. to begin each trip. The ranger station may be reached from I-40 by taking exit 175. Drive south one half mile on NM 337 to the ranger station on the east. From there the group will visit different locations in the mountains.

 Saturday and Sunday morning bird walks at the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park located at the far west end of Candelaria NW beginning at 8:30 a.m. A $3 parking fee or pass is required.

THURSDAY BIRDER TRIP REPORTS:
Judy Liddell’s Blog: http://www.wingandsong.wordpress.com
Joe Schelling’s Blog: http://joeschelling.wordpress.com and photo website: www.sandianet.com
NM Rare Bird Alert http://www.nmbirds.org
Rare Bird Alert for all states    http://www.birdingonthe.net 
To report NM rare birds contact Matt Baumann at [e-mail] , 505-264-1052
Wildlife Rescue for injured birds, located near the Nature Center: 505-344-2500

To find where reported bird species have been sighted, go to http://www.ebird.org. Click on ‘Explore Data’, then ‘Range and Point Maps’ or ‘Hotspot Explorer’, and type in the species name and general location.
To get a listing of birds reported in a given location, after clicking on ‘View and Explore Data’, choose ‘Bar Charts’, and select the location.