AUDUBON THURSDAY BIRDERS SCHEDULE-- Autumn 2015

[Rosyfinch]

AUDUBON THURSDAY BIRDERS SCHEDULE Autumn 2015

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 3

Visit The Narrows southeast of Grants, NM, with Gale Owings: 505-255-8333.

 Meet at 7:50 a.m. for an 8:00 departure from the northwest corner of the parking lot of the Hotel Albuquerque, located at 800 Rio Grande NW. From I-40, take the Rio Grande exit, and drive south to the first stop light at Bellamah NW. Turn east toward the hotel and enter the parking lot on the right.  

 To reach the destination of the trip, exit I-40 by turning south on NM 117 on the east side of Grants, and driving to La Ventana Natural Arch for the first stop. After some time there, the group will drive further west to The Narrows. Bring lunch. The distance is 90 miles, 180 miles round trip. For those not driving, the shared gas expense is $9 at five cents per mile. The trip should end in the late afternoon.

SEPTEMBER 10

Travel to Manzano pond in Manzano, NM, and Quarai National Monument with Bonnie Long: 505-379-1985, [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 Tramway and Juan Tabo NE or meet Bonnie at the intersection of NM 337 and NM 55 at 8:50. Bring lunch. For those not driving, the shared gas expense is $5 at five cents per mile.
 
SEPTEMBER 17

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 and park there. The hike at WWCA is an easy one-mile walk. Lunch will be at Rutilio’s Restaurant, 2350 Main St. NE, in Los Lunas near the intersection of NM 47 and NM 6/Main.   For those not driving, the shared gas expense is $4 at five cents per mile.
 
SEPTEMBER 24

Drive to Cochiti Lake with Judy Liddell: 505-220-7998 (Cell), [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 Boulevard. 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, but PLEASE let Judy know to expect you there. 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 1

Travel to the Randall Davey Audubon Center in Santa Fe, NM, with Lefty Arnold: 505-514-9398, [e-mail] Meet at 8:17 a.m. 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 Boulevard. The address at Randall Davey is 1800 Upper Canyon Road. 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 8

Walk around the Tingley bosque ponds with Maurice Mackey: 505-897-0415, [e-mail]. Meet at 8:30 a.m. at the north end of the Tingley Beach parking lot. To reach the area, drive west on Central Avenue past Rio Grande Boulevard, then turn left on Tingley Drive. Take the first right from Tingley Drive, and at the stop sign, turn right to the dirt overflow parking. (The parking spots by the concession stand may be left for the anglers.)
For those interested, the group will meet at the Barelas Coffee House at 1502 4th St. SW, for lunch.
 
OCTOBER 15

Walk the perimeter of Los Poblanos Fields Open Space with Lannois Neely: 505-890-7881, [e-mail]. Meet at 8:30 a.m. in the Open Space parking lot. To reach the fields turn north from Montano Boulevard on Tierra Viva, east of the Rio Grande River. There is a sign for Poblanos Fields Open Space. It will be an easy one-mile walk ending before noon.

OCTOBER 22

Walk in the Albuquerque Open Space Visitor Center and nearby bosque with Sara Jayne Cole: 505-554-1665, [e-mail].  

Meet at 9:00 a.m. in the center’s parking lot on the east side of Coors Boulevard. The entrance road, Bosque Meadows Road, is located north of Montano Road and south of Paseo del Norte. It will be an easy one-mile walk. The trip will end before noon.

OCTOBER 29

Hike the Copper Trailhead Open Space at the east end of Copper Avenue NE, east of Tramway Boulevard, in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains with Barbara Hussey: 505-385-1165, [e-mail].  Meet at 9:00 a.m. in the small parking area. Others must park along Copper. There will be a one-mile walk that winds uphill and downhill on disintegrating granite. The walk will end before noon.
 
NOVEMBER 5

Walk around the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park with Leah Henzler: 505-280-2085, [e-mail]. Meet at 9:00 a.m. 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 12

Walk in the Alameda Open space with Becky Purvis: 505-877-2517, [e-mail]. Meet at 9:00 a.m. in the Open Space parking lot on the south side of Alameda Boulevard, just east of the Rio Grande River. The one-mile walk will end before noon.
 
NOVEMBER 19

Tour Bernardo Waterfowl Area (part of the Ladd S. Gordon Waterfowl Complex) with Rebecca Gracey: 505-242-3821, [e-mail]. Meet at 8:50 a.m. for a 9:00 departure from the parking lot behind the Hawthorne Suites located north of Gibson and east of University Boulevard. The refuge is 50 miles south of Albuquerque on I-40, taking exit 175 to US 60. The group will view the ponds east on US 60 before entering the refuge. Bring lunch. For those not driving, the shared gas expense is $5 at five cents per mile. The trip will end by mid afternoon.
 
NOVEMBER 26

No trip is planned for the Thanksgiving Holiday.

OTHER BIRDING OPPORTUNITIES:

 Festival of the Cranes, November 17 - 22, at the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, 12 miles south of Socorro, NM. For registration information go to http://www.friendsofthebosque.org and click on Festival of the Cranes.

Visit the hawk watch site on Capilla Peak in the Manzano Mountains, August 15- November 5. For more information go to http://www.hawkwatch.org/migration, 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 to the hawk watch site 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, http://www.newmexicoaudubon.org/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.
 
There are 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. The pass may be purchased inside the visitors’ center after 10:00 a.m.
 
THURSDAY BIRDER TRIP REPORTS:

Judy Liddell’s Blog: http://www.wingandsong.wordpress.com

Joe Schelling’s Blog: https://joeschelling.wordpress.com and photo website: http://www.sandianet.com

NM Rare Bird Alert:  http://www.nmbirds.org

To report NM rare birds contact Matt Baumann at [e-mail], 505-264-1052.

Wildlife Rescue for injured birds is located near the Rio Grande Nature Center: 505-344-2500.

To find where reported bird species have been sighted, go to http://www.ebird.org. Click on ‘Explore Data’, and then choose one of the available options, such as ‘Explore Hotspots’, ‘Species Maps’, or ‘Bar Charts’.